Destiny of the Chosen Ones
by LukeDude
Summary: Weeks go by, even months, and the Force Bond between Rey and Kylo Ren is still there, sometimes weak and silent as a whisper, and sometimes strong and loud like a scream. Can the two of them remain in their respective sides without being drawn to each other? Or are they destined to be... Balanced? Reylo. Set after the events of The Last Jedi.
1. Chapter 1 : Prologue

***SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS EPISODE VIII : THE LAST JEDI WILL FOLLOW!***

 **If you haven't seen the movie, what are you doing here? Get Out!**

 **Hello everyone, so this is my first attempt to do a Star Wars story outside the realm of Rebels. For those followers of mine who are wondering why I've disappeared for so long, all will be explained in the notes by the end of the chapter.**

 **This story will follow partly what I think will happen before and during Episode IX, and partly what I want to happen. Hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 1 : Prologue

The Supreme Leader opened his eyes, and grinned. The girl was here, as he had predicted. His plan had worked. This time he would made sure that the fiery spit of hope the light of the Jedi Order provided would be extinguished.

Snoke was old, and he was sure he'd mastered all the aspects of the Force in existance. Yet, the strange connection that his apprentice and the scavanger shared was something he couldn't quite comprehend. How could a nobody, from nowhere, be so connected to one of the most powerful Force Users in the Galaxy? And not just any strong Force User : one of the Skywalker bloodline.

All he knew was that such Bond they shared had been somehow forged on Starkiller Base. The Force had done something in their minds, and Snoke had only used it to his advantage. Knowing that it would take time for the Bond to strenghten by itself, he'd manipulated it with his own powers, fortifying it and expanding it's reach, capacities and possibilities.

Ren had told him that the girl had resisted his Mind Probe, and on top of that reversed it. Maybe that was the moment where the link was forged. He'd warned his apprentice that as he grew stronger in the Dark Side, his equal in the Light would rise to rival it. He'd presumed that Skywalker would be such light, but the girl's sudden awakening in the Force had revealed otherwise. She was unknowingly powerful, and Snoke did indeed toy with the idea of turning her, replacing Ren as his disciple. He'd even told her to strike down his pupil once he'd sensed his failure on the weapon.

But she did not. Although her mind had anger and rage, her heart was pure and bright. Had they not been separated by the cataclysm on the Starkiller, then perhaps she would have killed him. But he could sense that she had quickly changed her mind once the ground fell before them. And then she ran. She ran like the coward that all of those who embraced the Light Side were.

And now that she had most certainly met and trained with Skywalker, the threat she represented was too big to be ignored. She had to be eliminated.

He sensed that they had just entered the turbolift. Now there was no turning back. The Dark Side would finally reign supreme.

But there was still something troubling Snoke. How could both of them be so... _balanced_ when their minds were connected? The Light could not coexist with the Dark, and vice-versa. Could it?

His apprentice still had some light within him. Snoke knew it and made sure that at least a tiny piece of it remained intact, so that he wouldn't make the same mistakes the Sith had done before. They were no Sith. They were above them. But for two individuals, on the opposite expectrums of the Force, to be so relaxed to each other's presence was truly impressive, and terrifying at the same time. Could this be the truth behind the pitiful Prophecy of the Chosen One? Had the Jedi really misunderstood it? Not one to destroy the darkness and save the light, but two to balance both of them?

Snoke shook those thoughts out of his mind. He was powerful and wise! He shouldn't be thinking on the narrow and indoctrinated view of the Force from the Jedi. And neither from the Sith. Those two Orders were doomed from the start, blinded by their overconfidence in their power.

And Snoke was going to put an end to all of it today. The Sith were long gone, but the Jedi somehow prevailed. Or _had_ prevailed. His apprentice had wiped out almost their entire Order with his Knights. _Almost_. Skywalker was alive, and now there was this girl.

But all had played exactly into Snoke's hands. He sensed their presence getting closer and closer. Soon it would all be-

"Supreme Leader?" A small hologram of General Hux appeared before him, drawing him away from his thoughts. Oh, how he wanted to Force Choke the General for disturbing him, but he knew that the image Hux was seeing of him was certainly towering him, like all of his holograms did, and surely putting fear into the rabid cur's heart.

"What is it, _General_?" Snoke groaned, making sure his annoyance was to be heard.

"We've captured infiltrated Resistance scum aboard the ship. One of them says it's a codebreaker that can decodify the Resistance's cloacking radars from their transports. And apparently, he's right. We have a clear view of their vessels attempting to flee their cruiser. He only has one request : to be paid _handsomely_ and a ship." The General said, his eyes trembleling and scared.

"Give him what he desires and get a lock on those transports. Fire at will. It's time to wipe out the Resistance for good." Snoke ordered, allowing a malicious smile to appear across his face.

"Very well, Supreme Leader." And with that, Hux's Hologram disappeared.

At least for once he had gotten good news from the General. After his failures to protect Starkiller Base and to decimate the Resistance fleet over D'Qar, Snoke was heavily considering to get a new General for his armies.

But he couldn't help to let a sinister chuckle escape his mouth. Not only would he bring an end to the Jedi, but to the Resistance as well. Once they were gone, hope in the Galaxy would be vanquished, and his rule would be eternal.

The turbolift was almost there, and Snoke's smile kept getting bigger and bigger. The Bond had done what he wanted. It had preyed on Ren and the scavanger's weaknesses, exploited them, and brought them both before him. He still could manipulate the Bond, but not control it. Whatever the Force was up to with these two, Snoke had no idea what it would culminate in.

But he shouldn't worry. This would all come to an end once the girl was dead, and he knew the perfect way to execute her, and at the same time to complete his apprentice's training.

The turbolift doors opened, revealing the girl and Ren behind her. She turned to see Snoke's figure sitting on his throne. She was certainly talking to his apprentice, trying to turn him to the Light Side. _Pathetic_.

Snoke's maleficent smile didn't leave his face when the two young Force Users approached him. All his doings had culminated on this, and this time, Snoke wouldn't fail. He would kill the girl and Skywalker. He would kill the Jedi Order. He would kill all of those who opposed him. This time, he would reign over the entire Galaxy.

His rule would not be cut short.

 **So this is the first chapter guys. The second one will have a two week time jump, and this one was only to reveal the truth (as I see it) behind Kylo and Rey's Force Bond and Snoke's reaction to it.**

 **Btw, pun intended with the last line :)**

 **Now, for those who follow me and do know about my work in Star Wars Rebels fanfics don't worry. I've been practicing my english a lot and I hope this time my stories won't have as many grammar mistakes as before.**

 **I already have three chapters of Struggle ready, but I'm taking my time to perfect the story. Some of you have said that the stroy was getting too dark and well, that was what I intended with it, but I'll back down a little bit of the darker aspects from it. Don't you think Sabezra is over my friends!**

 **Once Struggle is complete, I'll do a remastared version of the Trouble Trilogy, to correct it's grammar mistakes and to readjust the timeline, which I'm sure is confusing a lot of you guys.**

 **Unlike with my previous stories, I'll try not to put any OC's in this one. If I do, they will be minor characters, and possibly won't have a big role to play. I'll try to stick a true to the Canon as I can get, but I will borrow an idea or two from Legends. Afterall, there's always a bit of truth in Legends, right Ahsoka?**

 **But you can expect certain memorable or known characters to appear, be them from the comics, books, TCW, Rebels and BF2.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the start of what I hope is a great story for you guys.**

 **Please, remember to review! It helps me to see if you are liking the plot and I'll try my best to answer your questions!**

 **Until next time, and May the Force be with you. Always.**


	2. Chapter 2 : Plans of the Light

**Hey guys, sorry for not updating yesterday. I still have some trouble how to handle the events of this story. But, without further ado, let's get right to the new chapter!**

 **(Remember to review!)**

Chapter 2 : Plans of the Light

 _Two weeks after the Battle of Crait..._

And here they were. The last of the Resistance, aboard an old YT-1300 that somehow was still able to fly. It had been two weeks since the events that transpired on Crait. Two weeks since the Resistance had been almost decimated. Two weeks since Skywalker's sacrifice.

Up until now, they still hadn't found a place to settle. Most of the systems in the Galaxy were either in caos trying to resist the First Order's rule or had already submitted to their wrath. But they had been able to reignite the hope of freedom, thanks to the legendary Luke Skywalker. General Organa's allies in the Outer Rim began showing up, providing resources for the survivors on the _Millenium Falcon_. However, they couldn't provide shelter or any personnel for the Resistance, due to their own struggle against the Order's iron fist. Even so, any kind of help was welcome.

Leia had promoted Poe back to his original rank of commander, and together with Lieutenent Connix, General Caluan Ematt and Commander Larma D'Acy, were trying to find a new planet to establish a base of operations, do to the _Falcon's_ apparent inability to accomodate almost 30 individuals in a common room and lack of hospitality.

They had narrowed their search down to 5 planets : Dantooine, Basteel and Saleucemi, in the Outer Rim; Malastare in the Mid Rim; and Kalee, in Wild Space. Although these planets weren't in the Order's control, they all had ups and downs.

"Kalee has dense jungles where we could easily hide our fighters in. On top of that, we could use the Kaleesh Temples as the framework for our base! We wouldn't have to worry building the structure, just put the equipments inside and we're done!" Dameron said, his eyes obviously tired from many hours of debating."

"No way we are going there. The Kaleesh are an agressive people, if they see someone that's not of their species, they'll certainly attack." General Ematt said.

"Don't forget that those temples are very religious structures for them. We can't just go there and put our stuff inside. It would be disrespectful to their culture." Leia added, obviously tired as well.

On the other side of the room, most of the Resistance members were trying to get some rest. Despite not doing much, staying inside a crowded freighter was certainly taking a tool on them. But they managed to leave the room's bed with some space. Rose still hadn't woken up, and although Leia's allies did provide a few medical supplies, they did little to no good. Finn would stay by her side almost everyday. They had created some type of connection during her time away with Luke, and Rey couldn't blame them. The stories Finn told her about Canto Bight and the infiltration of the First Order's flagship was more than enough for her to realize they cared for one another. Rey wished she could...

"Rey?" She was snapped out of her thoughts by Finn, who was looking at her worried.

"Oh, what?"

"Are you okay? You seemed... off."

"Just thinking, nothing else." She replied.

"If you say so. Do you think they'll ever come to a conclusion?" He asked, checking Rose's vital signs.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'd do anything just to be able to step on land again. Any planet."

"Even Jakku?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, almost any planet." The two laughed quietly, trying not to wake the other Resistance members.

"Is she okay?" Rey asked, getting closer to the ex-stormtrooper.

"Her vitals are stable, but... I don't know if she'll wake up soon. It was stupid of her to save me." Finn said, closing his eyes.

"Finn, stop it. You're important to the Resistance, we couldn't simply let you die! Did you even think what Poe would think if you did? Or Rose, or even me?" Rey got up, looking at him intensely.

"It would have stopped the First Order." He said, eyes still closed.

"And so what? They would have only brought another ramming cannon and destroyed the base. Finn, it's just like Rose said : we won't win by destroying what we hate, but by saving what we love."

"Yeah, I think she took that to a literal sense."

"What do you mean?" It was her time to raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't tell you, but uh... after she crashed into my speeder, she... gave me a little kiss." He answered, obviously embarassed.

"Wow! Finn, that's amazing!Does this mean you've got a girlfriend?" Rey said, obviously mocking him.

"Hey, it's not like that, you know it." He said, taking a slip from a water bottle.

"Is it? Tell me, when are you going to have kids?" She asked, smiling.

Finn made an urge not to spill the water over Rose's jacket "WHAT!?"

Rey laughed at Finn's face, finding his reaction very amusing. The two however, failed to notice a sad glance coming from Poe.

"Hey, will you two keep it more quiet?" C'ai Threnalli, a Abednedo pilot muffled in his sleep. Rey and Finn stopped their friendly argue and kept checking on Rose.

The two then saw Leia calling them to join her in the Sabacc table, alongside the other Resistance high rankers. They were careful not to step on someone's hand or ear, which was difficult, considering the _Falcon's_ floor had literally become a giant bed for them.

"We are deciding if Dantooine would be a better place to settle a base than Malastare. Finn, since you were a member of the First Order military, you probably know what their goals of conquest would be. Care to give an opinion?" Leia said, holding her cane. She still hadn't fully recovered from the attack on the _Raddus_.

"Malastare is quite remote in it's sector of the Mid Rim, but I'm not sure if the Dug would welcome us there."

"Considering what they suffered during the Empire's reign, I think they'd be willing to help." Poe said, adjusting his position in the couch. The Sabacc table wasn't the best conference table in the Galaxy, but it was the only one they had.

"Yes, but Malastare has a high quantity of a fuel known as Malastarian fuel. Obviously, it's only found there." Finn stated, ready to proceed before Poe cut him off.

"Even better! We can use that fuel for the _Falcon_ and even other starships once we have them!"

"That's the reason we'd probably not want to go there. The First Order is looking for planets that have big amounts of resources. Malastarian fuel is exceptionally great for starships, and one of the First Order's primary goals would be to refuel their fleet. They'll certainly try to conquer Malastare, sooner or later. Furthermore, that fuel is only found at the planet's core, and the First Order probably has the means to extract it, we don't." Finn finished, looking at Poe. The pilot's expression was first of disbelief, but then he agreed. They couldn't risk running into the First Order now.

"So Dantooine it is?" Connix asked, looking at Leia.

"We'd have to be certain there's no presence of the Order there. If we could send a scout team before it would be beter." The older woman responded.

Rey watched their discussion unfold and listened to it, but didn't say anything. All she could imagine was how many peaceful and beautiful worlds were now been sugjugated to the First Order's rule, how may potential allies they were loosing by each minute that passed. It made her feel bad, and sick. She was full of will to help, and yet, had no way to do so.

Suddenly, the entire room became silent. Rey looked over at the Sabacc table, and saw that Leia and Poe were still talking, but their image was blurred. She felt a cold wave of darkness wash over her, and she looked around scared, trying to figure out what was happening. Then she felt it. A familiar presence. A presence she hadn't felt since...

She slowly turned her head, and saw a figure sitting alongside Leia and the others in the couch. She looked closer, and figure's shape was more solid now. It was _him_.

He looked up, and saw her, his dark eyes meeting her own, and he backed away, his expression showing disbelief and surprise.

She blinked away, and saw that he was still there. Her jaw clenched, and she raised her hand directing it at him, and suddenly, he was gone.

"Rey, what are you doing?" Finn asked, looking at her. The other Resistance members in the table also looked at her, confused.

She then remembered they were there and could see her. She lowered her hand, and took a step back.

"I've felt something. I need to meditate." It was a far-fetched excuse, but she knew that, because most of them didn't understand the Force, they'd accept it.

"Uh, okay... If you need something, just say it." Finn said, still staring at her.

"Yeah, thanks." She said, and quickly headed to her room. Do to her reputation and fame as the last Jedi, the Resistance members had given her the ''luxury'' of having one of the _Falcon's_ rooms just for herself, with the other one belonging to Leia.

"What was that all about?" Poe asked, glancing at her as she avoided the sleeping Resistance members.

"I don't know. Jedi stuff." Finn replied, turning his head to the table, but still showing concern on his face. Leia, however, raised an eyebrow.

Rey entered her quarters, closed the door and activated the sound-proof system. Now no one from outside could hear her.

She looked around, only to find out she was still alone. She turned her head rapidiy, trying to find out where _he_ was. And then she felt it. His dark and shadowy presence was right behind her. She slowly turned, hoping it was all a dream, that she was still laughing with Finn besides Rose.

But no, this was very real. She looked at him, and saw him doing exactly the same movements as she did. His eyes indicated that he was... afraid to see her?

But it didn't matter what he felt. The Force Bond was somehow still present and connecting them. And now she had to deal with him.

She was alone in a room with Kylo Ren.

 **Cliffhangar because I'm a souless being that has no emotions.**

 **JUST KIDDING. I wouldn't do it if it had no purpose. Next chapter will focus on Kylo's point of view, and I expect you to be pleased with him. I have at least 6 chapters after this one with they backbone already written, and many others planned. I hope you are enjoying it!**

 **Remember to leave your reviews for me to see if you are enjoying the story so far. I know it's only 2 chapters, but the opinions are very amusing to read, and are always welcome. If you have questions, please send them so that I can answer them!**

 **I'll see you soon, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	3. Chapter 3 : Schemes of the Dark

**Hey everyone, me again. This time I promissed myself that I wouldn't make you wait too long. FanFiction is with a bug in which I can't read your reviews in the website, only by email. However, that won't stop me from answering them.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter! (Review pls, I know it sucks that I'm asking for it, but it helps a lot.)**

Chapter 3 : Schemes of the Dark

 _Two weeks after the Battle of Crait..._

Kylo was exhausted. He hadn't had one good night of sleep since the assault on Crait. Everytime he closed his eyes, the nightmares would come to haunt him. Visions of him killing his father in cold blood. Visions of the Resistance flagship's bridge blowing up with his mother in it. Visions of his uncle tormenting him on the mineral planet. Visions of _her_.

He opened his eyes and quickly lashed out of the chair in his bunk, angered that he had almost let himself fall asleep again. He needed rest, and badly, but he knew the suffering he'd endure for the lack of sleep would be less painful than the one he'd had with the nightmares.

He tried to keep his mind busy with something all the time. He'd mostly train lightsaber sequences and aerobical movements. He'd tried meditation, but even that brought the visions back. So, when he wasn't busy torturing himself with physical exercises or with the matters of the First Order, he'd simply walk around the vast corridors of the _Supremacy_.

The First Order flagship was in complete turmoil. After the Resistance cruiser had rammed itself through hyperspace with the ship, most of the Order's resourcers had been redirected to repairing the enourmous vessel. It wasn't an easy task. Kylo even wondered how Snoke had managed to build this Behemoth.

He passed by a few reconstruction sites, filled with engineers, architects and technicians. They all would stop their work to hail their newly apointed _Supreme Leader_. Kylo would simply ignore them. He'd always sought power, and now that he had all the power he could ever get, he found it to be boring.

 _"No, it's not all. You know it."_ A thought ran through his mind, and he quickly tried to get rid of it. He failed miserably.

This wasn't all indeed. He could have more. He could have _her_.

" _No I couldn't. I can't._ " He reminded himself. She'd rejected him. After all he had done for her. He had given her comfort when she was sad. He'd shown her the truth behind the ''legendary'' Luke Skywalker. He'd killed his mentor, fought by by side with her against the Praetorian Guard. And when he had seized all the power and offered it to her, she still rejected him. How could she have done that? Wasn't she able to see that he wanted to shape the Galaxy into a better place?

But she had to care _so much_ about those liars in the Resistance. His mother, the pilot, the traitor. Hell, even the BB unit. They were all terrorists, that was very clear. Couldn't she realize they were only using her?

 _She_ had so much potential. He'd never seen someone so strong with the Force. To be able to push, pull and manipulate objects with the Force without any prior training was truly impressive. Even his uncle Luke had a long time to even try understanting the Force. He himself, although strong, only started to learn how to properly use it once he was in Luke's Academy. So yes, _she_ was special.

He continued to walk, stormtroopers and officers stepping aside so that their Leader could have a clear path ahead of him. They saluted him, and he simply despised it. How did Snoke find that amusing?

" _Because he was a fool._ " Another thought crossed Ren's mind. And indeed he was. Who did that old man think he was to use him? He was tired of being a pawn. He figured out that Snoke calling him "the new Vader" was nothing more than a mockering instead of a compliment. Vader had been a puppet for the Emperor, and Snoke wanted a puppet for himself. He wanted to be nothing more than a discount Palpatine, and that was his downfall.

Kylo would never be controled again. Now he was in control. Snoke wasn't a good master, but he did leave behind a few good advices. _Weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool_. He remembered his pathetic voice of wisdom. And he'd use that to his advantage. Hux wasn't fully buying the idea that a scavanger girl had killed Snoke and all the Praetorian Guards by herself, and honestly, neither did Kylo. But to keep him from questioning, he'd use the General's fear of the Force to make him obey orders.

An officer hailed Kylo, and informed him that Hux was waiting for him in the conference room alonside other high rankers of the First Order. Ren simply dismissed him and headed to the meeting.

Being the Supreme Leader actually required a lot of patience. He knew Snoke wouldn't attend to meetings such as these, but Kylo wanted to make sure he ruled knowing everything around him. Because he still lacked the respect Snoke had, he had to start gaining it, and part of that required him to attend such meetings.

He entered the room, and all the officers stood up, including Hux, although he did it reluctantly.

"Long live the Supreme Leader!" Hux said, and the officers followed him. Kylo simply took his seat, and signaled for the others to do the same.

"Now that you are here, my liege, we may proceed with the managment of the First Order." Hux said, looking at Ren.

Kylo gave an internal sigh, preparing himself mentally for the boredom ahead "What's the status of the fleet?"

"Repairs on the _Supremacy_ continue as scheduled, Supreme Leader. While our flagship is immobile, General Hux has suggested that the _Finalizer_ could lead the fleet for the time being." Captain Edrison Peavey informed. The man was old enough to have served during the reign of the Empire. How Hux outranked him was unknown to Kylo.

"Suggestion accepted. The _Finalizer_ has more specialized artillery than the others _Ressurgence_ Star Destroyers. It shall serve as a good temporary flagship." He said, turning his gaze to Hux. The General was actually surprised that Ren had for once agreed with one of his suggestions.

"What about our goals of galactic conquest?" He asked, already feeling the weight of his eyelids.

Hux activated a hologram that showed the galactic map ahead of them "The Core and the Colonies regions are already under our full control. The Inner Rim is almost submiting, and the Expansion Region is half taken. The Mid and Outer Rim are the ones proving to be more difficult to take, but considering our expectations, they won't last long."

"Captain Peavey, have you had any success finding the Resistance survivors?" Captain Tritt Opan asked. If Hux was the rabid cur, this man was his playing bone. Opan was fully dedicated for Hux, and, although very discreet, Kylo knew the man carried out anything the General asked him to do, so he had to keep an eye out.

The meeting continued, and Kylo found himself unfocused of... whatever they were debating. He only cared about finding _her_. Once again, he had failed to keep her out of his mind. He had sworn Skywalker that he would destroy her, that he would end the Jedi's legacy. And now he knew that he couldn't do that. He'd said that in a moment of blind anger. He was so focused on his former master, that the words coming out of his mouth didn't seem like his own. Yes, he wanted to eliminate the Resistance, but somehow, couldn't bring himself to do it.

He still had too much of the Light within him. He had to get rid of it. But all his attempts of doing so had failed. Killing Han Solo left him more troubled than ever. Watching the Resistance cruiser's bridge explode left him so shaken that he shot down his TIE Fighter escorts in pure unseen rage. Just like when he ordered all guns to fire at Skywalker. He was being torn apart. He knew the path he was destined to follow, and yet, the pull to the Light never seemed so strong.

And all because of _her_...

Suddenly, Kylo's surroundings became blurred, and silence fell over him. He looked at the figure of Hux, and he was moving his mouth, but no sound left it. He looked around, unsure of what was happening. He then felt it. A presence. A presence he hadn't felt since...

Kylo looked up, and saw _her_ standing besides Hux. He couldn't believe it. The Bond was still there? He didn't feel anything from her the past two weeks. He'd thought that Snoke's death would make it fade away. But there she was, solid and present like if it was real.

And it was.

He backed his chair a little bit, surprise eminating in the air. She looked at him, eyes widened. She blinked, as if to make sure she was really seeing him. Then her face turned into an angry expression, and she lifted her hand. After that, Kylo was pushed against the wall behind him.

"Supreme Leader?" Hux asked, staring at Kylo. He was now on the floor, panting, unsure of what had just happened. All the officers had their gazes locked on him, confusion in their faces.

Kylo looked again, and she wasn't there anymore.

"This meeting is over. Dismissed." Kylo said, standing up and rushing towards the exit.

"But sir, we haven't discussed about the Dreadnoughts!" Captain Peavey said.

Ren turned rashly "Build them, destroy them. I don't care. The session is done for today!" He then left with a fiery anxiety.

Kylo walked through the corridors as fast as he could towards his chambers. He rammed into stormtroopers that were on his path, not bothering if he would hurt them or not. He kicked a mouse droid, and entered his private quarters. He locked the door, and activated the sound proof system. Now no one from outside could hear him.

He looked around, only to find out he was alone. He turned his head rapidily, trying to find out where _she_ was. and then he felt it. Her light and luminous presence was right behind him. He slowly turned, hoping he was having an illusion for the lack of sleep. Perhaps he was still in the conference room hearing Hux's irritating voice.

But no, this was very real. He looked at her, and saw her doing exactly the same movements as he did. And her emotions were very clear : she was very angry, and with him.

And worst of all, he was actually afraid. The Supreme Leader of the First Order, Master of the Knights of Ren, the famed Jedi Killer, was afraid.

But here he wasn't any of those. Here he was vulnerable. And now he had to deal with her.

He was alone in a room with Rey.

 **As I'd said before, this chapter was to focus on Kylo's point of view of the situation. I hope you all liked it! Next chapter will focus on their interaction, and how they react to the Force Bond still being present.**

 **As I said before, I can't read the reviews do to some kind of bug , there must be something going on with the website. However, I can read the emails, so :**

 **Slay vega (Guest) : Don't worry, any kind of criticism is welcome, be it good or bad. Thank you for finding my writing interesting and I hope you enjoy where the story is heading.**

 **Mahou (Guest) : Thank you! I hope you love this chapter as well!**

 **Feel free to leave your reviews. I love reading them and they help me to see if you are or not liking the plot. Also, I'll always try my best to answer them!**

 **(P.S. : The chapter hadn't uploaded, so I had to do it again)**

 **See you next time, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	4. Chapter 4 : Torn Souls

**Hey guys, how are you doing?**

 **So sorry for making you wait. This chapter was one of the most difficult for me to write because I did not now the way I wanted it to go. Seriously, I rewrote it 5 times just to get it right.**

 **Without further ado, let's get to it shall we?**

Chapter 4 : Torn Souls

They stared at each other's eyes, not moving a single muscle. Their emotions were very clear through the Bond, and Rey's anger kept gettting feed by Ren's fear. She did not want to see him. She didn't even want to think about him. It brought too much pain for her.

Kylo didn't want to think about her either, but the more he tried to avoid her, the more he wished to feel her presence, to see her shape, to _touch_ her skin. He did not know why he wanted it, but something inside him told him it was right. That _she_ was right.

And Rey felt the same. That man was a murderer, a creature of the darkness, and yet, she couldn't stop herself to think about what she saw when they touched hands back on Ahch-To. It felt so real, so good. And she longed for more. For _him_.

Soon their emotions started to calm down, and both of them tried to hide them as best as they could, but they knew they were failing to do so. And it only made the emotions come back.

Kylo was the first to move. He took a step back, not breaking eye contact with her. He sit on his bed, or _her_ bed, from Rey's point of view. A part of him wanted to run away, to escape her fiery gaze, to leave so that she wouldn't attack. **The** other part however, wanted to stay, tostudy her features. For some reason, it wanted to just sense her presence. It was so disturbing and yet, somehow, calming.

Rey was also divided. On one side, she wanted to take her staff and hit it in his head until he couldn't open his eyes anymore. She wanted to beat him for all the horrible deeds he'd done, but on the other side, she wanted to take care of him. She wanted to make sure he was safe. Something deep inside her told it was the right thing to do.

Once again, Kylo was the first one to act.

"If you don't want to talk, I'm okay with it."

She blinked, but kept looking at him. He broke the eye contact, staring at the ground. If he wasn't going to look at her, neither would she look at him, she turned around, and tried to empty her mind from all thoughts, but every time she would keep remembering _him_.

She turned again, and he felt as if she was forcing him to look up, even though she wasn't even touching him. He rose his head, and saw her more calm, but he knew he should be careful. The anger still resided within her, and one wrong move could make her outburst in flames.

Now she was the one who spoke.

"Are you happy?"

He stared at her, not moving his face. But she sensed his feelings getting troubled.

"With what?"

"With you." She said, as serious as her voice could get "With all the power you've got. _Supreme Leader Kylo Ren_ , ruler of the Galaxy. Are you glad that you have everything you ever desired?"

"I don't have everything I desire." He said, his voice serious as well, but trembling a little "You know I don't."

Rey choked a sigh "You know I couldn't come with you."

"Why not?"

She raised an eyebrow, in disbelief.

"Can't you really see what you are doing? You are causing death, pain, suffering to the Galaxy! Wake up Ben! I sense the Light in you! This is wrong! How can you even see, and worse of all, approve these atrocities?"

"There's no Ben. There shouldn't be anything left from the past. I'm shaping the Galaxy into a better place, with a new view, _my_ view!" He said, his eyes shaking a bit.

"Why do you fight it?" She asked, holding back a tear "Why do you deny the good in you? This conflict is tearing you apart!"

"I'm resolved of conflict. I'm doing what's best for all." A lie.

"Best for all?" Now she was shocked "Caos is not the best for all! What is wrong with you? Come to the Light while you can!"

"I'm too much darkness. I'm just a monster, a creature in a mask, ain't I?" He asked, almost sarcastly.

"Not to me." She said "Not to your mother. We still believe in you Ben-"

"Don't call me that." He said, attempting to stop her.

"I'll call you whatever I want!" She almost shouted, and she got a bit closer "Why do you want to be so blind?"

He closed his eyes, lowering his face to the ground.

"Don't you have more important things to do? Some _Jedi dodoo_ of some sort?"

"Don't you have an Order to rule?" She spat back. He returned his gaze to her eyes, feeling the good in them.

He stood up, trying to tower over her. But she stood still. She was like a wall to him, and even though his attempt to make her afraid failed, he continued to try.

"It won't be long before we find you."

"I hope not."

He slammed his fist on the ground. _Why did she have to be so difficult?_

She continued to look at him. She shook a bit, but rapidly got back to a brave posture. He looked at her, still impressed that she was standing still.

"Why didn't you come with me?" He asked, silently begging to know.

She took a deep breath. She was tired of arguing.

"Because it was wrong. Why didn't _you_ come with me?" She replied. Kylo tried to avoid her gaze, but it burned in his skin.

"Because..." He started, but truthly, he found the answer hard to spill out. She stared at him, her eyes logging for him.

"Ben?" She said. He ignored her use of his old name. Finally, he answered :

"Because I'm weak"

It caught her by surprise. She expected something rude, something _dark_. But instead, he sounded like a lost child while saying it. _Why couldn't he simply forget the darkness? What was so difficult about it?_

He turned around, and stared at his wall. He wasn't brave enough to look at her anymore.

"Don't act like a coward." She said, feeling her frustration build up.

"I can't act something I already am." He said, his hands forming a fist. She was taken back a little by his words.

The two remained silent for a long time. _How long until the Bond would close?_

"Stay away from the Core and Colonies regions." He suddenly said.

"Why should I trust you?" She asked him, trying to sound angry. But her voice was soft and low.

"You don't have to." He simply answered. He turned his head slightly, and suddenly, he was gone.

Rey stared at the _Falcon's_ wall, and felt empty. Despite the argument they had, she realized she was missing _him_. But why?

She then heard a sob coming from somewhere in the room. She looked down, and saw a Porg in the corner of the room, right where Kylo had been just moments ago. She held the small bird in her arms, and tried to calm it down. It was scared, and Rey felt herself simpatizing with the creature.

Tears started to run down her cheeks. _Why couldn't he see it?_ It was so obvious that he was troubled. She wanted to help him, badly. There was a feeling deep inside her chest that told her it was her destiny, that it was _his_ destiny.

The Porg feel asleep in her arms, but she still kept him with her. For some reason, after the Bond seized, she felt lonely. She was craving for company, for someone who could understand her.

And for some unknown reason, she felt _he_ was the one who would be able to do so.

Kylo sensed the Bond fade away. He turned, and saw that she wasn't there anymore. For some reason, he wanted her to stay. It would be so easy just to let everything go, to take her far away from the First Order and the Resistance. To forget the Light and the Dark. _But she had to be so stubborn._

 _"And you as well."_

Kylo hated himself at that moment. He hated that he was so conflicted. He lied to her, obviously. He was the Supreme Leader of the First Order, He couldn't sound weak. And yet, he'd confessed to her he was.

Ren looked at his boots, and saw some feathers laying next to them. _Since when had there been feathers?_

He choose to ignore them. The droids would come there tomorrow to clean them up.

He wanted to hate Resistance. He _did_ hate the Resistance. _Why was it so difficult to do now?_

He ignited his lightsaber, and lashed out against the wall. He kept slashing it, beating it, until his hands got tired and he fell to his knees, tears running out his cheeks. He hated this feeling, and yet, let it consume him.

He took the feathers from the ground. They were probably from wherever Rey was. He held them close, and placed his forehead on the floor.

"What have I done?" He asked himself.

Why was the Force doing this to them?

 **So I hope you guys liked this chapter. My original plan for it was a bit different than the end result, but I hope you were able to enjoy it.**

 **Now the story will start to dive deeper into the Galaxy and the Force as a whole. The focus will remain on Kylo, Rey and their connection, but I'll try to flash out other characters as well, mostly Leia and Hux.**

 **Please remember to review, it helps me develop the plot and I love reading your opinions! speaking of which :**

 **Nan0min : Thank you! I can't wait either!**

 **I'm sorry for the wait. I will try to upload with more frequency.**

 **Thanks for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you... Always...**


	5. Chapter 5 : Settle

**Hello guys! After seeing how many people are following the story, and the few but inspiring reviews that you are giving me, I can only say thank you all for the support. I hope I'm fulfilling your expectations!**

 **Well, reviews will be answered by the end of the chapter. For now, please leave your reviews, and let's get going!**

Chapter 5 : Settle

Rey woke up the next day sitting on her room's floor, still holding the Porg on her lap. Another one had joined her, laying on her leg. She smiled at the peaceful and relaxed creatures, remembering her time on Ahch-To. It wasn't among the best of memories for her, but it was better than anything she'd lived on Jakku. She'd learned what she could from Luke, or what he allowed to learn. He's said it was time for the Jedi to end back there.

But maybe it wasn't.

Rey could worry about that later. She'd have a big day ahead of her. Hopefully Leia and the others had decided a place to settle for the time being, and she really needed some fresh air. Not that the _Falcon_ wasn't great, but the freighter didn't feel as comfortable as it could be with 30 people stuck in it.

She got up, letting the Porgs fly to the other corner of the room, and begun to dress herself. But while she was changing, she glanced at something she had been avoiding ever since her visit to Snoke's ship. Ever since she'd been foolish enough to try to save _him._

Master Luke's lightsaber.

It was broken in half, possibly beyond repair. It had taken a great amount of Force Energy to tear it apart, and she even wondered how she managed to hold her own against Kylo.

 _Ben._

She tried to stop thinking about _him_ , but after some groans and hitting her head on the wall while putting her boots, she gave up.

Why was he so difficult? His soul was divided in two : on one side, you had Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the Galaxy, the embodiment of the Dark Side of the Force. On the other side, you had Ben Solo. A conflicted man, who craved for company, for guidance, anything that wouldn't make him feel lonely.

And Rey simpatized with him. As much as she denied it to herself, she would always feel her similar to Ben. They were troubled, trying to find their place in this huge Galaxy. They were so known and yet, forgotten as well.

And Rey had felt herself missing his company since last night, even though she wanted to forget him. To let him roat away in the shell of Kylo Ren. Their argument yesterday proved he was evil.

 _"So why would he tell you to stay away from those regions? Why would he confess he was weak, a coward?"_

 _"He wasn't any of those! He was a young, troubled and handsome-"_

 _"Stop it!"_

Rey banged her hand on the wall, shaking the thoughts away. The bang was so strong that Rey heard footsteps approaching her room, and knocking on her door desperately.

Surely it was Finn, worried again. Although he didn't leave Rose's side, she knew that her best friend would always be there for her.

However, she couldn't help but to feel a bit... jealous of him. He'd found someone who cared for him, and although he didn't admit it, she was sure he cared for her. She wasn't jealous because she liked Finn. No, he was just a friend, despite all they had been through. She was jealous because she also wanted someone to be like that with her.

 _You're nothing._

Someone to care for her.

 _You came from nothing._

Someone who could know her.

 _But not to me._

She closed her eyes, and stayed as calm as she could. If she couldn't get _him_ out of her mind, she at least could keep his memories at low thought.

She headed to the door, and opened it, expecting the ex-stormtrooper. But instead saw a huge Wookie with his eyes craving for rest.

"Chewie! Why are you here?" She asked, checking his state. He was barely standing up, and even so, he came to check on her.

Chewie muffled a response.

"The sound? It was nothing. Just one of the Porgs not looking where it flew."

Chewie pointed at her forehead, and groaned that it was red.

"Don't worry, really. In fact, you are the one who's looking horrible!"

The Wookie chucked a bit. He then groaned back.

"Flying the _Falcon_ for two straight weeks mustn't have been easy. You need to sleep." She said, taking off his munition belt. He complained, telling her it was ok and that he'd sleep with the others in the common room.

"I won't allow it. You need proper rest. Here, take my room. I've already slept all I needed."

Chewie hesitated, telling her it was hers and that it would be disrespectful.

"You've been on the _Falcon_ longer than I have ever lived, Chewie. Please, sleep here, or I'll bring a Porg to you!"

Chewie roared slightly, and Rey burst out on laughs.

"No, it won't be cooked. You will handle with them alive!"

Chewie laughed a bit as well, and then hugged the girl. Rey never admitted it, but in the short amount of time she'd meet the Wookie, she already considered him like an uncle, always taking care of her back and being very kind to her.

She grabbed her bag, and let Chewie in.

"Good rest." She said, laying a kiss on his hand. Chewie looked at it surprised, and then smiled at her. He entered the room, and laid on the bed, falling asleep immediately. Rey closed the door, a big smile still planted on her mouth.

She headed to the common room. Some of the Resistance members were awake, separating the supplies on the corned of the room. Those who were still asleep laid next to Rose's bed, and Finn was among them, his eyes closed and head dropped.

She understood that he must've been really tired, probably helping Leia and the others to find a base through the whole night. And he probably also stood awake long enough to keep checking on Rose.

Rey begun heading to the cockpit when Leia called for her.

"Rey! Come here my dear!" The General said, her brave smile across her face. That woman had through so much, and yet, could give happiness like no other.

"Good morning General." Rey said, sitting besides her in the Sabbac table.

"Didn't you learn that it's just Leia?" She said, handing her some rations. Rey begun eating them, and looked at the woman.

"I'm a slow learner."

"I hardly believe you."

The two chuckled, and kept eating. C'ai then came up to Leia and gave her a holodisk. The General thanked the Abednedo pilot, and turned on the device.

"What's that?" Rey asked, looking at the holodisk.

"The news." Leia said, activating a hologram "Bad news."

The figure of a black dressed man appeared before them. He stood confident and serious, with a small hat on his head. Rey noticed a small simble on his shoulder, and recognized it immediately. _The First Order._

"Citizens of the Galaxy! This is Captain Tritt Opan of the First Order. Coruscant has just fell under the rule of our great and brave regime, giving us full control over the Core Worlds. This message is for the outside Galaxy that opposes our ideals : we are bringing peace, freedom and security to all! Those who defy us will be met with brutal force, and those who join us, shall receive the full support of the First Order! This is the beginning of a new age! An age of prosperity and progress! Stand with us, or be eliminated!"

The hologram fades away, leaving Leia with her hands over her head. Rey stared at the holodisk, speechless. Was this what they were willing to do? What he was willing to?

"Not the best of speeches." A voice said, and the two women turned, seeing Poe approaching them "Didn't find it that sympathetic."

"Neither did I." Leia said, returning to her relaxed form. However, Rey could still see the sadness in her eyes.

"Poe, did you sleep well?" Rey asked, while the pilot sat on the other side of the table.

"As best as I could." He said, taking a bite on a ration bar "When I woke up I told Chewie to let me take care of the flying. He was stubborn about it, but in the end he accepted it. He was just too tired to keep piloting."

"Yeah, I saw him." Rey said, finishing her breakfast "I let him stay in my room. He needed some space and a pillow."

"Don't tell me he couldn't make one with all the hair he's got." Leia said, and both Rey and Poe chuckled.

"He was just so exhausted. I could see it in his eyes. He needed it. He'll probably let me have it back once he wakes up."

"I'll help you cleaning. Wookies don't have the best perfumes." Poe said, also finishing his ration.

Rey smiled, and then asked "Weren't you supposed to be flying the ship while Chewie sleeps?"

"Oh don't worry. R2 is taking care of the autopilot there. BB-8 is helping him with the jumping coordinates." Poe said, standing up to look at Finn, who was still asleep.

"I'm going to check on 3PO. He's been less talkative recently." Leia said, taking her walking cane and leaving the couch. Rey got up and stood next to Poe.

"Do you think he'll ever leave her side?" Rey asked, smiling a bit. However, she failed to notice a sad look in Poe's eyes.

"I don't know. I think those two will have more ahead of them. Finn didn't tell me everything that happened at Canto Bight and in Snoke's ship. These two got close just so quickly."

"We all did." Rey said, looking at him "We have a good chemistry. All of us."

"I hope so." Poe said, turning his head to her. Now she could feel the sadness in his expression. But why would he be sad?

"Are you okay Poe?" She asked, concern over her face.

Poe gave a smile. A forced one, but a smile.

"Never been better."

"Poe, if you need anything, just talk to me." Rey said, softly taking his hand.

"Thank you. And you as well! Anyways, what happened last night? Did you find what you were searching for in your meditation?" Poe asked, and Rey flinched slightly. She didn'y want to remember last night. _Yes she did_. No she didn't. She didn't want to be reminded of _him._

"I wasn't able to see everything. But I'm sure that soon I will. I'm just new to all of this Jedi stuff." She said, hoping that Poe didn't see it was a lie.

"Jedi stuff, right. Well, I'm no expert in the Force, but if you need some skills with piloting, I'm your man!"

Rey chuckled "I think I can handle myself."

"That's why I'll teach you. You will learn quick." Poe grinned. Then BB-8 came rolling to him, beeping.

"Hey buddy, what is it?" Poe asked, kneeling to face his droid. Rey knelt as well.

The droid beeped some words. Happy beeps, it appeared.

"That's great buddy! I'll inform the General." Poe said. Rey followed him to meet with Leia, who was reactivating C-3PO.

"I had to change your power cell. After all these years, I still have to take care of you." Leia said, tinkling the protocol droid's head.

"May I remind you Princ- I mean, General, that I was the one who looked after you as a little girl on Alderaan." 3PO said, getting up.

"And I'm thankful for that. Poe, any news?"

"Yes General. We're arriving at Dantooine soon. Hopefully the old rebel base there still has some supplies and ships left for us to use." Poe said, proudness on his voice.

"So you've decided Dantooine?" Rey asked, curious.

"Yes. It was the most suitable option for our current situation. I think you will like it Rey. It's mostly a farming planet, but it's fields and woods are beautiful to be seen." Leia said, putting her hand on the young Jedi's shoulder."

"I'll be glad to know somewhere new!" She replied, grinning.

"Come on, let's go to the cockpit to prepare for the landing." Poe said, leading the way. Rey, Leia, BB-8 and 3PO followed him, the protocol droid having some trouble with a Porg that wouldn't leave his right arm.

They entered the cockpit, and R2 and Connix were there managing the computers.

"General! We are preparing to arrive on Dantooine soon!" The Lieutenant said.

"Commander Dameron has already informed me, thank you Lieutenant. Poe, why don't you do the honors?" Leia asked, pointing at the pilot's seat.

"Oh, please!" Poe said, sitting and managing the controls.

"Alright guys, prepare to drop out of hyperspace!"

Rey was excited. It would be the first time since Takodana where she would be able to stay on a planet and simply be.

"In three, two, one..."

Rey could already imagine the wonderful landscapes they would settle, the Resistance growing in numbers, and overall, all the good deeds that planet would provide them.

The _Falcon_ dropped out of hyperspace, and was meet with the luxurious view of Dantooine ahead of them.

And a _Ressurgence-class_ Battlecruiser.

 **And here we are back with the Resistance! I realized that it's much easier to write Kylo longing for Rey than Rey longing for Kylo. I don't know why, but I sense that I have to be extra careful with how I handle her character. Anyways, I hope you liked the end result. This chapter was mostly just to show she did indeed, despite trying not to, care for Ben. And of course, the finding of the base! Uh wait...**

 **Thank you all for reading. Please remember to review! I love reading your opinions and they help me a lot! Speaking of which :**

 **EJGryphon : Thank you for your honest review! I've been thinking a lot about flashing out the lives of the First Order personnel as a whole, and seeing your reaction to it just gives me more inspiration to do so. Kylo picking up the feathers as a reminder is a nice touch I wanted to give to the aftermath of the Bond, and yes, I also think the Falcon would be just teeming with Porgs. I can't remember now, but where there any of the crystal foxes on the Falcon when they escaped Crait? Maybe yes maybe no, I only know that if there is, Chewie won't be happy someone's eating his Porgs.**

 **Feel free to ask questions if you wish guys, and if you've read this far, tell me : who from the Tv shows, books, comics and games would you like to see?**

 **Hope you guys enjoy what's to come!**

 **See you soon, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	6. Chapter 6 : Escaping

**Hey guys, so guess what? Fanfiction has bugged, AGAIN. I uploaded chapter 5 a couple of days ago but apparently no one was notified by it (pls correct me if I'm wrong) and it didn't appear in the Star Wars section once the chapter was released. If anyone could help me with this issue I'd be more than thankful.**

 **Getting this out of the way, let's get going shall we?**

 **(Review pls!)**

Chapter 6 : Escaping

"Crap!" Was all Poe was able to say before turning the _Falcon_ to the right, preparing to take evasive manouvers.

Rey, Leia and the others were shocked. Dantooine didn't have many resources and held no real importance in galactic affairs, so why was the First Order there?

"But General, our allies told us they weren't going to get near the sector!" Connix said, desperation in her face.

"Well, apparently they were wrong" Leia hit her cane on the floor, scaring BB-8 "Poe, get us out of here!"

"Working on it! R2, get new jumping coordinates!"

The astromech droid quickly begun working on the navicomputer, using his databanks to find a possible escape rout.

"What are those small explosions near the Destroyer?" Rey asked, pointing at it with her hand. Leia stood up and watched carefully, suddenly her eyes widening in disbelief.

"They are firing at civilian vessels!"

Colonel Kaplan watched from the bridge of the _Excalibur_ , his new personal flagship. After being stationed on the _Finalizer_ for years one could say he was more than pleased to finally have people working _only_ under him. Maybe getting almost blown to pieces by the traitor stormtrooper back in Hux's ship did end up with good results.

"Colonel, a ship has just dropped out of hyperspace in sector 7!" An officer informed him. Kaplan looked through the windows, and saw the unmistakable shape of the YT-1300 freighter they'd been after for a while.

"Well done, it seems your information about the Resistance survivors was right." He said, turning to face a man in his knees before him, two stormtroopers behind him. The man was old, and was barely conscious, and very injured, clear indications of torture.

"I've given you everything you've asked for : my farm, my planet, their location and their plans. Now please, help my people to leave with our ships. Let us go!" The man shouted, one of the stormtroopers hitting the back of his head with his handle.

"I'm afraid not. You know too much, and now, your usefulness had come to an end." Kaplan said, kneeling in front of the man.

"This wasn't part of the deal! You murderous snake!" He shouted, the stormtroopers hitting his gut to shut him up.

"I'm altering the deal." The Colonel said, and he pulled out his pistol, shooting the man in the head. His body fell limp, and Kaplan looked at his troopers.

"Clean that up. Fire on those civilian vessels, and send fighters to destroy that freighter!"

"Those heartless monsters! Those people don't have any means to defend themselves, we have to go save them!" Rey said, preparing to go to the gunners position.

"Rey! Don't let your emotions get the best of you. We too want to help, but we simply can't with just one ship! It's suicidal! After all we've been through, we can't just blindly go and blow up some TIE fighters!" Leia said, grabbing the young woman's arm.

"But they are dying!"

"So are we! If we sacrifice ourselves today, there might be no hope to rival the First Order tomorrow!"

"But, but-"

"No buts!" Leia said, raising her voice. Even Poe got surprised by the General's sudden tone "Sometimes the best way to save lives is by letting others go." A tear fell from eye, and Rey finally understood it. If they were to help now, their chances of survival would be minimal.

R2 beeped that the sensors were picking up new signals.

"Oh great. Rey, I might indeed need you in the guns! We have TIEs incoming!" Poe shouted, activating the _Falcon's_ shields with Connix sitting by his side to help as a copilot.

"Sir, the chances of us escaping those fighters are 1208 to 1!" C-3PO said, histerical as always.

"Well, let's get that one chance!" Poe replied, turning the _Falcon_ yet again and dodging the TIE fighters' shots.

The freighter shook a bit. Finn got up from the ground, and the other Resistance members all held on to something.

"Finn! I need someone to help me in the guns!" Rey said, running past by him.

"Got it!" He answered, unsure of what was happening.

They got to their positions, and activated the turrets, starting to fire at the fighters.

"You gotta be kidding me! They've already found us?" Finn screamed, his face sweeting already.

"It's just like Jakku! But there's no sand!" Rey said, firing at a TIE that flew too close to the _Falcon_.

"Great! Then I'm going to nail it!" The former stormtrooper said, a smile across his face.

"It's because you haven't seen how many of them I shot down on Crait!" Rey said, clearly challenging him.

"Wanna see who's best? Let's do it!" Finn said, firing a plasma barrage towards one unfortunate fighter that was flying right towards him.

"R2, have you done the calculations?" Poe asked, turning the ship yet again. Those fighters were really annoying today. Were Finn and Rey too blind to take them down?

The _Falcon_ shock yet again "Shields are at 75%!" Connix informed, doing her best to keep them operational.

R2 beeped in confirmation, He did it!

"Alright, time to leave this mess Commander Dameron!" Leia said, helping 3PO not to fall to the ship's sudden manouvers.

"Took the words out of my mouth General. Jumping in... Now!"

Poe pushed the switch, but nothing happened. He tried again, and got no response.

"What the hell?" He said, flicking some buttons "I thought this ship was okay! BB-8, check on the wires!"

BB-8 acknowleged and rolled to the control painel in the main room, he removed it, and got surprised and pissed off by what he saw. Three Porgs were eating the connection wires, and apparently loving them. BB-8 activated his electrical pinch and attacked the Porgs, scaring them away. He beeped something that translated to ' _Stupid birds._ '

He worked on the wires as fast as he could, using all the tools in his disposal.

"Wohoo! Got another one!" Rey celebrated, an explosion right in front of her.

"What, how? Are you cheating with the Force?" Finn asked, clearly upset he was losing.

"C'mon, just admit that you are bad at it."

"I preffer blasters okay?"

The ship trembled yet again, and Finn almost fell from his gunner's seat.

"BB-8, I need that hyperdrive, now!" Poe shouted from the cockpit, and the small droid cursed some beeps.

Finally, with one roll of his scewdriver, the painel's lights turned on and he connected the wires. BB-8 gave some loud beeps so that Poe could hear them.

"He's got it. Punch it, now!" Leia said, her forehead sweeting.

Poe evaded a TIE fighter, and without waiting any second, pushed the switch, and in a matter of moments, the _Falcon_ was ingulfed in the blue trails of hyperspace.

Poe slid in his chair, closing his eyes and giving a sigh. Connix held his arms, sighing as well. Leia lowered her head, thinking. _Was the First Order already that far? Did her son know about it?_

Leia shook her thoughts, pressing her lips. Of course her son knew. He was the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Rey had told her of the events that had transpired in Snoke's throne room, the aberration's death and her fighting side by side with her son. It was so painful for her to know that, despite the flickering of light that existed within him, he still let time and time again the darkness consume his heart. Luke had given her more hope that he wasn't truly gone, but at that moment Leia didn't know who Ben Solo was anymore.

She left her seat, and headed to the common room. There she asked the rest of the Resistance members if they were okay.

"What was that all about?" General Ematt asked her, concern in his face. She hated to deliver bad news, but this was war. She should get used to it again.

"We arrived on Dantooine but... The First Order got there first." She said, gasps coming from some of the members. She continued "We had to outrun them, and currently we are back into hyperspace. I'm sorry."

Some of them lowered their heads, and others just got back to what they were doing. Ematt got closer to her, and asked :

"How did they know we would be there?"

"I don't know. They were firing at civilian vessels, probably people trying to escape them. They are worse then the Empire." Leia said, holding back a tear. She wanted to have hope for her son, but this was just too much.

"Maybe they captured one of our allies. We had contacted them last night, but we know that they too are in trouble. I fear we are still going to have to endure life on this freighter for a while." Ematt said, smirking.

"Don't underestimate this ship, General. It has saved me many times." She said, walking away. Then she saw Finn and Rey leaving the gunners' positions, talking to each other.

"I shot down 3 of them. Try better." Finn said, crossing his arms.

"Too easy. I got 7." Rey said, smiling and walking past him.

"Wait, what? Next time try not using the Force!" He said, grinning.

"I can't not use it, it's natural!" Rey said, turning. Leia could only enjoy watching the conversation.

"Don't you want to teach some of it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not how the Force works!" She replied, slightly punching his shoulder. Finn just left out a chuckle, remembering when Han had told him that exact same frase.

"Good job you two back there. You kept us safe long enough to make the jump." Leia said, proping with her cane. Rey and Finn smiled, thanking the General.

"I must say..." Poe appeared behind Leia, wiping the sweet out of his hair "You two did a pretty good job back there."

"Your flying was what kept us alive Poe. You haven't lost your hand." Finn said. He had much respect for Poe ever since they escaped the First Order in orbit of Jakku.

"I never will." Poe smiled, shaking hands with Finn. Rey suddenly saw in the pilots eyes something different. Something she wasn't used to see, yet it felt comforting, and it was towards Finn. What could it...

"Guys, stop shaking the bed, I'm trying to sleep here." A voice snuffed out her thoughts. They all looked at the medical beed, and saw a young engineer woman rubbing her eyes, sitting on it. Finn was the first who spoke, both surprise and shock in his voice.

"Rose!?"

Colonel Kaplan watched as his fighters failed to destroy the YT-1300 and the ship entered hyperspace. He'd lost them.

"Call in the fighters. Are all the transports destroyed?" He asked, turning to an officer.

"All civilian vessels have been eliminated sir." The man responded, getting back to work on the computer in front of him.

"Excelent. A victory for a defeat. Contact the main fleet and ask for our new orders." He said, looking at the vastness of space. Suddenly, a hologram appeared in front of him, and he felt a cold feeling running down his spine.

"Supreme Leader!" He knelt, hoping that his superior didn't see his desperation.

"Spare the pleasentries, Colonel. We both know why I'm contacting you." Kylo Ren said, his face neutral but dark at the same time.

"Oh yes, about the operation on Dantooine-"

"That you carried out without informing me of the full details. A trap for the Resistance?" Kylo asked, his voice low but threatening.

"It was supposed to be a surprise my liege! Imagine if today would have been the day where all of your oppositon had been eliminated?" Kaplan said, his voice trembling a bit.

"'Would have been', so I assume you've failed?" He asked, his voice colder.

"Uh... Indeed. They escaped, but not for long. I'm sure that with time-"

"Time is a luxury we don't have, Colonel. Return to the _Supremacy_ and tell me the full story. But I warn you, I'm not pleased by your course of action. I've said it before that if someone was to deal with her, it would be me!" Kylo snarled, interrupting the Colonel yet again.

"With her, my liege?" Kaplan asked, confused.

Kylo's eyes widened, as if he realized what he'd just said "You question me, Colonel?"

"No! Not at all Supreme Leader!" He said, kneeling again.

"Get here as soon as possible to report to me in person." Ren said, and the hologram disappeared. Kaplan was sweeting nervously.

As the Colonel's hologram disappeared, Kylo immediately left the _Supremacy's_ bridge. He rushed through the corridors, ignoring once again those who would hail him. He entered his room, and sit on his bed, holding his hands. _How stupid was that Colonel to think that he could attack the Resistance without informing him?_

But worse of all, Kylo had slipped what he mostly wanted. _Her._ He did want to find her, but for some reason, didn't want to hurt her. He imagined if the _Falcon_ was to be destroyed today. He should feel happy if it did, but instead he felt as if he'd be broken, sad and hurt. _But why?_

He looked at his pillow, and saw the feathers he'd found in his room after the last Bond. Another reminder that she would aways be there to haunt him

 _"What have you done to me?"_ Kylo thought, holding his head in his hands.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm gonna say that I had a lot of fun writing it, and that I wanted to explore a little more the relationship between Finn and Rey, and Leia's thoughts on Kylo. And now, Rose is awake! And someone is in trouble with Kylo...**

 **Next chapter will have more focus on the First Order, and I promisse a bit more Hux for you guys!**

 **Remember to review please! It helps me a lot and I love reading your opinions!**

 **Thanks for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	7. Chapter 7 : Demonstration

**Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update. My classes just started and I'm having a hard time managing my time. Hopefully next week my schedule will be more organized and more updates will come.**

 **Not going to talk much here, so enjoy the chapter!**

 **(Review please!)**

Chapter 7 : Demonstration

He rose the blade above his head and blocked the incoming attack from the training droid. He couldn't clear his head of the thoughts, _the memories_ , but sparring seemed a good way to keep his mind focused on something else, and he welcomed it. The stress he'd have would be easier to handle with than the pain that came when he remembered _her_.

The droid swung his electrostaff, crouching into a ready position. He raised his lightsaber, pointing it at his rival. The crackled noise it made filled the room, giving the impression that his surroundings were on fire. The droid jumped, and tried to attack low, but his programming wasn't as fast as his reflexes, so he easily pushed its strike back. Then he attempted to swing the electrostaff towards his abdomen, but he already knew it would do it. He'd been training with that droid, or at least that model of droid for the past two weeks. He'd already destroyed 3 of them.

The two got into a lock again, electrical sparks exiting the staff as it made contact with the plasma blade. The droid was strong, but he was more. A machine would never be able to stand against the power of the Force.

Then, out of nowhere, the cracked noises seized, and time seemed to move slower. He quickly dismissed the possibility of the droid powering down, do to him still feeling resistance coming from the lock. And he remembered, the last time his surroundings turned like this, during the meeting, while on his room, when he'd seen _her_.

He felt a strong presence in the Force in his right side, and turned his head. _There she was._

 _"Please be a hallucination."_ He thought to himself. He'd been sparring to keep her out of his mind, and yet there she was, a few feet from him.

She seemed to realize the Bond had bridged them again, and she looked at him, shock in her face. She contracted her eyebrows, and said, low but angered :

"What the hell is this!?"

" _Kriff, no hallucination."_

"This is not what you think it is!" He said, turning to face the droid, but got frightened when he saw a red figure pushing against his blade. _A Praetorian Guard? Weren't they all dead with Snoke?_

Her eyes widened, as if she was realizing he wasn't lying. However, she wasn't fully convinced.

"Prove it. Turn your saber off." She said, trying to look serious. But he noticed some trembling in her voice. _Was she... Afraid?_

He growled, trying to resist the lock while talking to her. "I can't. You really want me to die, don't you?"

He expected her to rapidly reply with a dry 'yes', but she didn't say anything. She looked down, and he could feel as if whatever she wanted to say was stuck in her throat, hesitation being the barrier. _Why would she hesitate?_

He then felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and feel to the ground. Immediately he felt the Bond fade away, and the last thing he saw from it was the shock in her eyes and something flying towards her head, strangely.

He looked up, and the Praetorian Guard wasn't there anymore, but the droid was on top of him, pointing the electrostaff at his head. He still feared that the Praetorian was somewhere in the room, but he quickly deduced it was his mind playing games with his sanity.

 _"Defeated by a droid. Well done."_ He thought to himself, looking with disgust at the machine in front of him.

"Override code : Rukh!"

As he gave the code, the droid stepped back and deactivated the electrostaff. He got into a standing position, and said :

"You must be more conscious of your moves, Supreme Leader."

As a response, Kylo ignited his crossguarded lightsaber and chopped the droid's head off, clenching his teeth in reaction to it. He rested the weapon in his belt and stepped out of the white tatami, putting his cape on and leaving the training room.

"This used to be easier." He mumbled to himself as he continued to walk through the _Supremacy's_ long corridors. Repairs were being succesful, but it would still be a long time until the ship would move again. Who'd know that a hyperspace crash could cause such damage?

And he kept walking. On his path members of the army and crew would step back to salute him, always repeating "Long the the Leader!", "Milord!" or "Your greatness!". Kylo never knew that he'd find it to be so irritating. He didn't want to be praised, he wanted to be alone. But as the Supreme Leader, he knew he'd have to bear it up. At least his intimidation methods were working. The personnel possibly only did this as a response of Hux's reactions to when he showed up. They were loyal to him. If it was do to fear or respect, Kylo didn't care. But it was most likely fear.

"Supreme Leader!" An officer hailed him in the middle of his track, and bowed, waiting for his permition to speak. Ren rolled his eyes, and raised his hand, allowing the officer to open his mouth.

"Colonel Kaplan and the _Excalibur_ have dropped out of hyperspace. Should we give them clearence to dock?"

Kylo nearly snarled at the mention of the Colonel. He'd acted outside of the Order's plans, _his_ plans. If he had been able to capture or destroy the Resistance without him knowing, the outcome would certainly be disastrous.

"Yes. And inform the Colonel that he is to come and meet me on the bridge immediately. I have important matters to attend with him."

"Very well Milord. And... One more thing." The officer said, as if he was afraid to do so.

Kylo nodded, growing impatient with the man. He only wanted to teach Kaplan a lesson he wouldn't forget.

"You shoulder, sir." He said, pointing at him. Kylo looked, and saw that he was bleeding, which was weird. Electrostaff weren't made for cutting and stabbing, so the strike must have been really strong.

"Is it your shoulder?" He asked, sarcastly.

"Uh, no sir." The officer replied, confused.

"Than it's not your business." Kylo then stormed off, heading as quickly as possible to the bridge.

After taking a turbolift and walking miles of corridors, the Supreme Leader arrived at the command center of the _Supremacy._ The ship was huge, huge enough to dock 8 _Ressurgence-class_ Battlecruisers within it. No wonder it took a while for him to get there. Hux was looking at the vastness of space before he turned to face his new Leader. He simply stepped aside and Kylo approached the window and saw that the _Excalibur_ was already within one of the cruiser hangars.

"General Hux, take all personnel on the bridge and reunite them at the other side of the room." Kylo ordered, not facing the man next to him. Hux was thinking about questioning Ren why, but the man gave him a cold stare before he could open his mouth to talk. He shivered.

"Right away, Supreme Leader." Hux said, and he and the rest of the crew present did as Kylo asked. Moments later, the entrance's blastdoors opened, and Kaplan stepped in, sweeting a little.

The Colonel saw the bridge personnel on one side of the room, something he found odd, specially because Hux was with them. He then looked forward, and his eyes trembled at the sight of Kylo Ren standing with his back facing him. The new Supreme Leader was younger than him, but that was no reason for him to fear the man less.

He knelt a few feet behind the Jedi Killer, took his hat off, and bowed his head.

"My liege, thank you for receiving me. I hope that-" Suddenly he felt the air escape his lungs, and something grabbing his throat. He raised his hand to his neck, trying to get rid of it, but it was in vain. It seemed as if an invisible 'force' was chocking him.

His feet left the floor, and he gasped for help, his eyes widened in terror. He was lifting in mid air, while the rest of the crew watched in disbelief. Hux was frightened as well, but apparently he was the only one aware of what was happening. The only one except...

Kylo lifted his right arm, his hand in a pinch form. His eyes were closed, but rage seemed to eminate from his neutral expression.

"This is what happens to those who dare not to obey me." He said, opening his eyes. His hand closed, and a snapping sound was heard all over the bridge coming from the Colonel's neck. His body fell limp and lifeless, and the crew's reaction made it clear they were scared.

Kylo turned to face them, serious but menacing.

"I hope I've made myself clear."

The entire crew crew nodded with their heads, their expressions indicating fear and terror. Hux, on the other head, looked with disgust, and anger as well. Kylo locked eyes with him, knowing his glare would terrify the General.

"Indeed you have, Supreme Leader." Hux said, bowing his head. Kylo then proceeded to leave the bridge, kicking the Colonel's head while doing so. Once he wasn't there anymore, Hux released the breath he had been holding for quite a long time now. He ordered the crew to get back to their duties and for someone to take Kaplan's body away.

Kylo was making his way back to his quarters when he felt his surroundings getting blurred again. _Crap. The Bond._

This wasn't the best moment to have his mind connected with _hers_ , but something inside of him was... Welcoming it? _Why? She was the enemy!_

 _No, she's not the enemy. She's better. She's more._

 _She's..._

Kylo banged his head on a wall to forget the thoughts, but all he got was more of them and a bad headache. He looked up to see a stormtrooper staring at him, probably wondering what in the Galaxy his Supreme Leader was doing.

Kylo swiped his hand to the trooper's direction, and said :

"You haven't seen this. You're supposed to be in sanitation."

"I haven't seen this. I'm supposed to be in sanitation." The soldier repeated, walked past him like a droid. Kylo would have chuckled to the situation if his head wasn't aching and the Bond wasn't opening.

He opened his quarter's doors and quickly shut them. He grabbed some Bacta from his shelf and got ready to put it on his head and shoulder, but before he could do that, he felt the presence. _Her presence._

He slowly turned his body to face her. He was being torn apart : one side of him wanted to avoid her, to forget her image and to crush it. The other side however, wanted to be with her, to feel her, to... _care_ for her.

But now he had to get himself back together. He could hold back the emotions, couldn't he?

Probably not with her.

With Rey.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Once again, I wanted to show Kylo's state of mind, and Kaplan acting against his orders was one of the best ways I thought for doing so. Next chapter will focus on Rey and her point of view from this whole situation.**

 **And did you guys get any of the references that I put on this chapter? There are two, one of them pretty obvious and the other one only Rebels viewers will see it. I'll be implementing a lot of things outside the movies in this story, so get ready.**

 **Remember to review. Your opinions help me to develop the stoty and I love reading them!**

 **Thank you all for keeping up with the story, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	8. Chapter 8 : Reactions

**Hello everyone! So today I've managed to arrange some time to write, and hopefully I'll have a more clean schedule in the upcoming weeks.**

 **So I've read chapter 7 again and I apologize for the grammar mistakes. I should start writing earlier rather than at midnight.**

 **I'll answer reviews by the end of the chapter, so as always, feel free to leave your opinion!**

Chapter 8 : Reactions

"Rose!?" Finn spoke with surprise and shock. He rubbed his eyes to see if they weren't deceiving him.

"Finn? Ugh, my head hurts. Do you guys have any idea of what happened?" The mechanic asked, giving a quick yawn.

"Rose!" Finn almost shouted, and he ran to her, hugging the woman. Rose was stunned by Finn's sudden reaction, but hugged him back. After all, it wasn't every day that a Resistance hero would come and hug you.

"Ok, I'm running out of air Big Deal!" Rose said playfully, and Finn looked at her face.

"Are you ok? Do you remember anything?" He asked, concerned.

"Besides a bloody headache, I think I'm fine. Last thing I remind of happening was that you were going to crash into the ramming cannon, so I got in your way. How long have I been out?" She said, noticing that all the Resistance members were gathering up around her, and she felt a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't used to be the center of attentions.

Finn was a both relieved and troubled with her answer. _Didn't she remember the kiss?_

Finn thought for a moment. He didn't know the schock she'd have if he told her the truth. Maybe it was better to lie, wasn't it?

 _"Yeah, lying is better."_ He thought, and opened his mouth :

"Don't worry, it hasn't been that long. You don't..."

Poe rolled his eyes, knowing that Finn wasn't going to tell her the truth. He bended down besides the former stormtrooper and cut his mumbo-jumbo :

"Rose, you been unconscious for two weeks."

Finn looked at Poe disbelieved. Had he really done that?

Rose's eyes widened and she stared down to the floor.

"Oh, Karabast." She murmured. Her head got up and she looked around "Is this all that is left?"

Poe bit his lip. He was going to reply when someone spoke first :

"Yes."

He and Finn turned to look at General Organa. Her eyes were full of grieve, but she continued :

"It is my dear. I'm sorry."

A tear ran down Rose's left cheek. Everything they had fought so hard for, given so much of their hope for, was gone. Lost and no longer retrievable. Cobalt and Crimson Squadrons, Holdo, the _Raddus_. Her sister, _Paige_.

She swallowed her will to cry, and got up.

"I need some time alone. Please." She said, looking as normal as possible, but her lips were trembling, and obviously she was going to let out rivers of tears.

"Of course. You can have my room. Come." Leia said, showing the mechanic the way. Rose shut the door behind her, and broke down.

Finn was about to follow her when Leia stopped him.

"She needs some time for herself. Nothing that you do will change how she feels right now."

Finn stared at her, hesitating to listen to her. He looked at Poe.

"The General's right Finn. You can help her later." The pilot said, crossing his arms.

Finn nodded, and sitted on the bench Rose had been laying for the past two weeks. The other Resistance members got back to what they were doing. All the while, Rey cold feel the sadness coming out from Leia's room, and strongly. She approached Finn, sitting besides him. Poe also got closer.

"I didn't expect her to be this sad. We've lost the Resistance, but we can still rebuild from the ashes!" She said, turning to face Finn.

"She hasn't only lost the Resistance." He said, closing his eyes. Rey raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Poe sighed, and replied :

"She's lost everything she's ever known. The Resistance was her home, her family."

Rey processed what the pilot had just said. Apparently there was more about the mechanic than she'd expected.

"Her homeworld was stripped out of it's resources by the First Order. After that, she and her sister joined the Resistance." Finn said. Rey gasped internaly.

"She had a sister?" She asked, looking at both Finn and Poe.

The pilot nodded "Her name was Paige. The two of them were a part of the Resistance's Cobalt Squadron. During the evacuation of D'Qar, Paige was aboard one of the bombers that were attacking the First Order's Dreadnought."

Rey lowered her head slightly, finally comprehending what Rose felt.

Poe sighed, and finished his sentence :

"Paige didn't make it. She sacrificed herself alongside Cobalt Squadron to take down the ship."

"By the Force, that's horrible." Rey said, letting her breath out.

"Everyone here has been through a lot. It's up to us to honor those who have fallen to secure a better future." Poe said, walking away.

"And I've helped it." Finn murmured, pressing his lips. Rey looked at him, doubtful.

"Helped with what?"

"To destroy her." Finn turned to stare at Rey, and his eyes were red "I helped the First Order to move it's war machine. I served their every command and guarded the planets they conquered without even thinking about who lived there. I'm not the hero she thinks I am."

"Finn, that isn't true!" Rey said, grabbing his arm "You were the only one there who was able to see their attrocities and break out of their mind control. If it wasn't for you, I'd have never left Jakku, met Han and the Resistance, found Luke and you back on Crait. You may not be the hero she deserves, but you are the hero she needs."

Finn smiled at her, and held her hand "I hope you are right Rey." He carefully squeezed it.

"I am." She said, getting up and moving next to Leia. The older woman was talking to Lieutenant Connix.

"So, now that Dantooine is off the list, where should we go?" She asked, and Leia activated the galactic map on the Sabacc table.

"We're looking at mostly uncharted systems or isolated planets, somewhere remote enough that the First Order won't have interest to go to." The General answered, searching through the Galaxy's arms.

"As long as it's a safe heaven, we'll prosper quickly." The Jedi said, helping Connix to organize a few of the ration bars left.

"If only Alderaan still existed." Leia said, even though it sounded more like she was talking to herself rather than to Rey. She knew that it was Leia's homeworld, even though it wasn't Luke's and they were twins. The stories about the planet were wonderful and incredible, detailing how it served as the beacon of hope during the times of the Old Republic. But she also knew that it had been destroyed by some kind of super weapon during the reign of the Empire. What kind of weapon it was, Rey didn't know, and she didn't dare to ask Leia, as she knew how the General would feel about it. She could only think about something in the lines of Starkiller Base.

Rey closed the last ration pack and handed it to Connix when she suddenly felt her surroundings getting quiet and lightly blurred. _Oh no, please not now._

Her spine shivered when out of nowhere she heard the sound of a lightsaber clashing against something. But the sound wasn't from an ordinary lightsaber like hers and Master Luke's. _It was his._

Shock engulfed her face as she saw him standing with his crimson blade ignited in the middle of the room. He was sweeting, as if he had been exercising or something.

"No! My necklace!"

"What the hell is this?" She asked, low enough for no one to find it odd but loud enough for him to hear it.

He stared at her, and he was shocked as well. _Is he going to attack me? We can't hurt each other through the Bond._

 _Right?_

"This is not what you think it is!" He said, turning his face ahead. Rey then saw many sparks exiting the end of his blade, and the fright in his expression. _Was he fighting someone? He can't be hurt!_

 _I can't allow him to be hurt!_

"Kriff! BB-8, try to catch it!"

She widened her eyes and put the pieces together. He was dueling, and apparently losing.

But this could be a trick. Se couldn't let her guard down, specially to the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

 _Why not?_

She shook the thoughts away, and dared him.

"Prove it. Turn your saber off." She tried to say it as confident as she could, but her words trembled as they left her mouth.

 _Again, why?_

He clenched his teeth, growling "I can't. You really want me to die don't you?"

She wanted to say yes. She almost shouted a rapid and dry 'yes' at him, but for some reason, it got stucked in her throat. She couldn't say it. Not to him. One part of her wanted him to pay for the terrible acts he'd inflicted in the Galaxy, but the other part, oddly, wanted him to be safe, to be unharmed and to be at peace.

 _To be with her._

"Got it... Ouch! It's flying towards you Finn!

"I hate these things!"

She was about to open her mouth when she saw something striking his shoulder, making him fall to the ground. She was about to gasp and to run to him when out of nowhere something hit her head.

She tripped back, and leaned in the Sabacc table to prevent her body to fall. She looked up and noticed he wasn't there anymore.

"Rey! Are you okay!" Finn asked, walking next to her.

"Yeah." She put her hand over her head, hoping that he didn't notice she was talking to _him_ "What was that?"

The two then heard a sound coming from behind them. They turned, and saw a Porg holding a necklace in it's mouth. By the end of the necklace laid a ring. A wedding ring.

"That." Finn said, quicly throwing himself at the table, trying to catch the small bird, but it was faster than him and flew away. It landed on the bench, and looked at the two two of them.

"You tiny bastard!" They heard Poe say, the pilot carefully getting near the Porg "That's mine!"

The creature growled at him, and flew away before Poe even had a chance to catch it.

"Finn, it's heading to the rooms!" Poe shouted, and Finn moved fast to corner the Porg.

The bird stood at one of the rooms' entrances, trying to swallow the necklace. Finn and Poe got closer to it, attempting one last desperate attempt to reclaim Poe's belonging. Rey only watched, but she felt a small pain coming from her forehead, right where the Porg had hit her. She touched it, and saw some blood coming out.

"In three?" Finn asked, turning to Poe.

"Yeah. One, Two..." The two approached the bird, and it looked at them, not worrying about a thing.

Then out of nowhere, the room's door opened up. The Porg didn't even have the time to react before a giant hairy hand grabbed it and put it on his mouth, eating it.

"CHEWIE!" Rey, Poe and Finn screamed at the Wookie. Rey because she couldn't believe Chewie had just killed an innocent life form, Poe because he had eaten his necklace alongside the Porg, and Finn because he simply found it gross. Leia was laughing to the situation in front of her.

Chewbacca muffled, asking what was wrong, and Poe desperatly said :

"That Porg had something which was mine! And you ate it!"

Chewie raised his hand, indicating for Poe to wait a little. He punched his chest two times, and spat something out in his hand. He happily groaned, and put the regurgitated necklace in Poe's neck. Finn and Rey watched disgusted, and even Leia had to admit that was uncivilized. Poe simply pressed his lips, lowering his head.

"Thank you, buddy."

The Wookie kindly tapped the pilot's shoulder and moved to the common room.

"Dude, you gotta clean that thing." Finn said, staring at the drool dropping from the necklace. Poe simply rolled his eyes, and headed to the refresher.

Chewie got closer to Rey, and the girl punched his shoulder.

"You said you wouldn't eat them alive!"

He growled, saying that they tasted better than the ration bars.

"I don't care! From now on you are forbidden to eat any Porg!"

The Wookie muffled, probably imitading her sarcastly, and headed to the cockpit.

She grabbed a small Bacta patch and headed to her room. Now that Chewie wasn't there anymore, she could take the time to mend the cut the Porg had done in her forehead. She closed the door, and started to unpack the patch. While she did it, she started to think about what had just happened. _The Bond._

What if _he_ was hurt? What if now he was on the merge of death, about to get killed? She had to do something!

She contracted her eyebrows, knowing that she shouldn't think like that. He had chosen his path. They were on opposites sides of a war. It didn't matter if she could still sense some Light within him, they were enemies.

 _Were they?_

She knew she could save him. The vision she'd had when they touched hands on Ahch-To proved it. He wouldn't embrace the Dark, he wouldn't follow Snoke.

Snoke. He was the one who forged the Bond.

Then perhaps he'd forged the vision as well.

But if so, how did their minds remain bridged after his death?

Was there something more?

He didn't follow Snoke, but he did embrace the darkness. Something about the Bond wasn't fully explained. A suspicious thing.

 _"Maybe he knows something about it. I could ask him."_ The thought left her head as fast as it appeared. He probably didn't know as well, and if he did, she hardly believed he'd tell her. He was the opponent.

 _But not against the guards, he wasn't._

She remembered the fight in Snoke's throne room. Their coordination, their agility, their _balance._ At that moment she'd felt like if he completed her, as if he was the shadow that her candle lighted up.

If they could simply forget about this all...

 _"Stop! I can't think about that, it's wrong!"_ She told herself in her mind.

 _Was it?_

She was about to apply the Bacta in her forehead when she felt the presence. _His_ presence.

She slowly turned her body to face him. She was being torn apart : why couldn't she decide if she wanted his presence? It was disturbing, and yet at the same time... Calming.

But now she had to get herself back together. She could hold back the emotions, couldn't she?

Probably not with him.

With Kylo Ren.

 _Ben Solo._

 **Thank you guys for reading! I didn't know where to start this chapter, but Rose seemed a good way to do it. I didn't really mind her character in the movie, but being honest, I can see potential in her. I don't know why people see her as the new Jar jar Binks. Sure, I agree the kiss with Finn was dumb, but for the rest she is a compeling character, simple and at the same time brave. So developing her will be fun.**

 **Next chapter will be only focused in the Bond between Rey and Kylo. I know I'm taking a while to fully present the romantic elements of the story, but I'll try to make it as interesting as possible while at the same time deeping into the Force mythos and the state of the rest of the Galaxy. I have some good Force Bond and Reylo moments planned as well as some good action sequences, and I expect you to enjoy it.**

 **Remember to review. I'm sure I'm being annoying for asking for it, but your opinions help me to write the plot and well, I love getting them, whether or not they are good or bad. Any kind of opinion is welcome! Speaking of which :**

 **Guest (reviewed on C1) : Thank you a lot. It's nice to see that people are finding it to be cool. I hope you enjoyed all 7 chapters so far. For the romance, just be a little patient. You'll get what you want sooner than you think. And hey, you don't have to wait too much, here's a new chapter!**

 **EdhelwenOnieta : I'm glad you enjoyed Snoke's POV. No Reylo fics have focused on him as heavily as I expected, so I decided that the first chapter should focus on his plan, the truth behind Kylo and Rey's Bond and what he thought about it. As for me not focusing on him until he got cut in half, I have two reasons : First I didn't know all his lines back then. Now I do ;) ; Second, I think we saw everything we needed to see about that scene in the movie, and soon the novelization will come out, so perhaps we'll get something more about that sequence. But don't worry, you haven't seen the last of Snoke in this story.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	9. Chapter 9 : Crying Agreement

**Hello there!**

 **So people, sorry for not uploading this weekend. I've been pretty busy doing... stuff. I don't need to go into details, do I?**

 **Well, thoughts and reviews' responses will be by the end of the chapter. Enjoy it!**

 **(Speaking of which, remember to leave your opinion!)**

Chapter 9 : Crying Agreement

And they remained quiet. They wanted to speak, and yet, knew they shouldn't. They were at war, and in war enemies can't share opinions.

 _But were they enemies?_

Rey looked at the wound in his shoulder. He noticed and tried to cover it, failing shamefully. He couldn't look vulnerable, but he knew she saw through him.

But he could see through her as well.

And he knew that, behind the lack of interest she showed in her face laid some concern.

 _"Concern for what? She couldn't be concerned about me!"_ He quickly shook the though away and proceeded to treat his shoulder, pretending not to care about her presence.

 _Oh, but he cared so much._

If he was going to care for himself, she'd care for herself. She tried to open the Bacta pot in her hands, but it was stuck. She used all of her strength, and even so no sucess. It's incredible how the famous 'Last Jedi' wasn't strong enough to open a medicin.

And his presence didn't help her to concentrate.

" _I hate pots!"_ She cursed in her head, eventually giving up. Suddenly, the tamp rolled quickly, and fell to the floor, but she didn't even touch it. She looked at Kylo, but he didn't turn.

"You're welcome." He said, applying a patch to his shoulder.

"I was almost opening it." She said, pressing her lips.

He gave a small smirk, and turned his head "Didn't seem so."

He'd smirked. _Could he do that?_ Rey knew there was good in him, but never had she seen emotions other than anger, hate, suffering and rage in his expression. This was humor.

A strange humor, in his case.

But even so, he'd smirked. And there wasn't only humor about it. There was something else.

 _What was it?_

She rolled her eyes, finding the pot to be empty. She threw it across the room, putting her hands in her forehand. They were short in supplies, no matter how much help their allies tried to get for them.

And the reason for that was right besides her.

She was done waiting. She didn't know anything about Force Bonds, and she hadn't dared to open the Jedi Texts yet.

 _But maybe he knows._

She breathed in, gaining confidence, and spoke.

"Snoke is dead."

He looked at her, freezing. He didn't show any reaction in his face, but deep down he was afraid to where this was heading.

"Yes." He said, keeping his gaze at her, but trying to sound as serious as he could.

"He'd said he had bridged our minds."

"I remember."

"But the Bond is still here."

"Indeed."

Only cold answers. That was all she was getting from him. She sighed, losing her patience, and got up.

"You're simply gonna act like this isn't a thing?"

"If I can't do anything about it, then yes." He turned, applying some of the Bacta in his forehead.

"Can't you then? Don't you know anything about Force Bonds?"

He sighed, and turned to face her.

"Not to this extent."

"What you mean?"

He bit his lip. Force Bonds weren't a Force ability that could be used as a weapon, right?

Maybe there was no problem telling her.

He motioned for her to seat, and hesitantly, she did. He held his hands together, and started :

"Force Bonds happen when two people have a strong connection, like they live many events together. It was most common between a master and an apprentice, and in it they could feel each other's presence, feelings and thoughts, but only in desperate situations or when they were near each other. I had one with Sky..." He paused, gulping "You know, before it happened."

She remained still, absorving his words. So Bonds were indeed a thing, but he wasn't her master, and they were certainly not near each other.

"But I've never read or known about something like this. Whatever Snoke has done to us, is beyond my comprehension."

She got closer, and he stood still, but his heart was beating rapidly. He didn't think she'd try to get closer to him without the intent of hurting him after Crait.

She was... Curious?

"How are Bonds created?" She asked, looking intently at his eyes. He lowered his gaze to the floor, and continued :

"It's not something I've learned in depth. I believe it was mostly through experiences and care." He said, contracting his eyebrows.

"We don't have care for each other."

"Yeah."

They both knew they were lying. She cared for him for the hope she had for him to turn. He cared for her for what she represented, for her potential.

 _But there was something... More..._

She turned to him, thinking about what she'd just said. If they didn't care about each other, why would he have told her to avoid the Core and the Colonies? And why would she have been concerned when she saw him getting hit in his shoulder?

She looked around, and thought it was better to change the subject.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

"I thought you had seen it in first hand." ANother cold reply.

She rolled her eyes, and continued :

"You know we can't see each other's surroundings. What was it?"

He snarled internaly before responding. He didn't want to look weak.

"I was training. Got distracted and payed the price for it."

"So my presence is so disturbing to the point where you get distracted in the middle of a fight."

He looked irritated at her, before nodding at the cut in her head.

"And mine is so disturbing that you can't get aware of your surroundings. What happened?"

She remembered her cut. She was so focused in the conversation that she'd even forgot the pain.

"A Porg was flying around and hit my head. Nothing life threatening."

"A Porg?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Tiny birds native to the island Master Luke was on."

A bird. So that's how those feathers had ended up in his room during yesterday's Bond.

And that was it. They remained in silence, not knowing about what else to talk.

But she didn't want to talk.

He didn't want to talk either.

They wanted to stay together, even though the two of them didn't accept it.

 _Why such torture? We're supposed to hate each other, and even so, I want to just feel, just see, just touch..._

 _Him._

 _Her._

Kylo wanted to get rid of the feeling, but something in his chest told him to do something he never expected to do.

He took the Bacta patch in his table, and handed it to her.

Rey looked in confusion at it. _Why would the enemy offer me help?_

"I know your pot was empty. Take it. You need to treat that cut."

She kept staring at him, and quickly grabbed the patch, avoiding to touch his fingers by any cost. He pressed his lips, knowing that she didn't care for whatever he'd do for her. He turned around, preparing for the Bond to quit at any moment.

But suddenly he heard something he didn't even remotely expect to come out of her mouth.

Specially to him.

"Thank you, Ben."

He looked at her, his mouth almost opened in surprise. _How could she even thank a monster like him?_

"But as much as I appreciate it, this must stop."

She didn't think that saying those words would hurt so much. Something in her head kept telling her that she didn't want it to stop, that she wanted it.

That she wanted him.

Kylo felt as if a spear had lunged into his heart. But she was right. As much as he wanted to sense her presence, he shouldn't. The two sides of the Force couldn't stay near each other for too long. It would unbalance the universe.

 _Would it?_

He used all of his calm not to make his voice tremble. He held a sigh, and said :

"What do you suggest?"

She felt the sharp pain in her soul. He was going along with it, but instead of being pleasently surprised, she was shocked and frustrated. But it was right. They were enemies, and these Bonds would make the Resistance threatened all the time.

She gulped "Maybe we should do some research. Because you're Dark and I'm Light, we could search what our sides of the Force say about Force Bonds. Maybe they can help us to end this."

He felt as if he wanted to cry, but there were no tears. The conflict within him was devastating. _She was right! This has to end!_

 _So why do you still want her?_

"Alright." He murmured, and if Rey wasn't as close to him as she was she wouldn't have heard it.

Unknown for the two of them, they were in pain.

And the internal 'whys' didn't stop.

Kylo however, knew tht if she was away searching for things of the Light, the Resistance would be vulnerable.

For some reason, he felt as if he had to swear her.

"I'll make sure that the First Order doesn't attack during your studies."

"Why would you do this?" She gave a step closer, and they could feel each other's breathing. Kylo held back the memory of their hand touch, and made up a lie.

"Because you'll need all the attention we can have to solve this."

" _Because I want you to be safe."_ His mind said.

Rey's gaze lowered, thinking.

"I'm not sure the Resistance won't attack you."

"For what I know, that piece of junk can barely overthrow us." He said, looking away.

She saw his reaction, and said :

"So you know about Dantooine."

"Yes." He replied. But he couldn't be this cold anymore. Not with her "But I didn't order it."

Rey's eyes widened. How could he not have ordered it?

"It seems as if you are not as 'Supreme' as yout title implies." She said.

And he chuckled.

 _He'd actually chuckled._

Deep inside her, Rey felt her as if her soul had smiled.

"Who ordered it?" She asked, concerned this time. If he didn't know what the entirety of the First Order was doing, then the Resistance would be doomed.

"It doesn't matter. He's been dealt with." He said, reliefed. She wasn't in danger for the time being.

Thankfully.

Then the Bond begun to fade away, but slower this time. They looked around, surprised it was acting like this.

Kylo turned rapidly at her, and said :

"Good luck in your search."

Rey's face gave a surprised look at him. _Since when had he such manners?_

She smirked, and replied :

"For you too."

And then, he was gone. A tear dropped from her left eye, and another. After a couple of seconds, Rey found herself kneeling to the floor, crying.

She was troubled in the inside. She knew closing the Bond was the best way for her to protect her friends, but still, thinking about it gave her an ache in her heart. An ache that resembled what she felt when she thought of him.

 _She missed him. And if the Bond seized, she'd miss him forever._

She looked at the Bacta patch he'd given her, and held it firmly.

"Thank you."

Kylo stared at the wall in his quarters. She had disappeared.

He gave a loud scream, punching the wall several times before falling to the floor, feeling defeated. His knuckles bleeded, but he didn't care. The pain that came from the conclusion they had reached was enough to make the bleeding look like nothing.

If the Bond seized, then the First Order would have higher chances of dominating the entire Galaxy. Their Supreme Leader would be more focused in their goals, and the Dark Side of the Force would reign.

But right now, he didn't care about any of it.

Screw the First Order. He cared for something much more important.

Something truly special.

Rey.

 **I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I've recently got sick, but I'm better now.**

 **I feel as if this chapter wasn't as good as it could have been. Maybe it's my head aching or the fever, but sickness tends to make creativity fade away. I'm sorry if it was not good, but I'll try my best to make the next ones more compeling.**

 **So now Kylo and Rey will start their quest to close the Bond once and for all, even though the two don't know the other one doesn't want to. But will they be able to resist each other's pull?**

 **Remember to review. I love getting your opinions and they help me to develop the story a lot. Speaking of which :**

 **Unknown Guest : Thank you! Well, here's the next part! I'm sorry if it felt a bit off (I think it did, but it's probably my head ache. I hope so :P ). There's more to come!**

 **Thank you for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	10. Chapter 10 : Presences

**Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update. I've been through some rough situations that I'll tell you by the end of the chapter.**

 **Thank you for the kind reviews in the last chapter! They've really lightened my day up after what I've experienced recently. I'll answer them after my notes ;)**

 **Remember to leave your opinions, and let's get going!**

Chapter 10 : Presences

Five hours had passed, and tears were still dripping down Rey's cheeks. Her sobbing had stopped, but her feelings were still mixed about their decision.

 _"It's the right thing to do. The Resistance will be safer without him popping up in my mind, and I'll be more focused in the fight ahead of us."_

 _Then why there's a part of you that doesn't want it to stop?_

She closed her eyes, trying to forget all of this.

"Why Force, why?" She asked, her voices echoing through her quarters.

She'd already put the Bacta patch _he_ 'd given her. It had a First Order insignia in it, so Rey had to remove it with something. Do to her not wanting to head to the refresher in her state of mind, as well as her reasonings to avoid making Finn more concerned about her, she'd used her own tears to clean it. And by each tear that dropped in the simbol, the more she remembered _him._

She'd felt something coming from him. Hesitancy, turmoil, indecision. She couldn't figure out which one of those it were, but she knew one thing clear :

She felt the three of them.

And she wanted to just let go.

 _Darkness raises, and Light to meet it._ So that meant she was the Light that contrasted his Dark. But he still had the good inside of him. She knew it was tearing him apart like a rash, and even then, he kept it locked away as best as he could.

She knew he could be turned. What she'd seen when they touched hands on Ahch-To proved it. And she would be the one to save _his_ soul. It didn't matter if Snoke had or hadn't manipulated the vision. She had a goal and she had promissed herself she would do it.

But closing the Bond would cut her from any chances of rescuing Ben Solo.

So this was the dilemma. _Save her friends or save him?_

 _Keep the spark alive or attempt to create a fire?_

 _That could burn itself away into the shadows?_

The idea of redeeming him was strong, but like Leia had told her, they couldn't risk taking high chances. The Resistance needed to gather it's strenght back together, while at the same time giving hope to the rest of the Galaxy.

Hope that one day, maybe one day, would redeem him.

The decision had been taken. She had to do it.

Once the Bond was finally closed for good, the Last Jedi would help those in need and restore the peace to the Light.

Well, at least she hoped she was a Jedi.

Wiping the tears away from her face, she got up, checking if the patch was firmly put, and headed out of her room, preparing to fake a trustful expression in her face. As she stepped out, she heard the other room's door opening, revealing a sad but calm woman. She was looking down, and by the looks of it she hadn't realized Rey was next to her.

She walked closer to the mechanic, pressing her lips.

"Hey."

Rose looked at her, her eyes still flooding with sadness.

"Hey." She said, looking back at the floor. Rose had been a no one for most of her life, only checking on pipes and fixing the cables aboard Resistance ships. It was nothing truly special, and her missions to Canto Bight and to the _Supremacy_ were a failure. So why was the Resistance's greatest heroine talking to her?

"Do you need any help?" Rey asked, crossing her arms.

"No, thanks. I'm fine. I just... *sigh* feel useless."

"I feel the same way."

Rose raised an eyebrow to the Jedi. How could heroes feel useless?

"I'm sorry for your loses." Rey said, stepping closer. Rose felt as if she was being cornered by the woman in front of her.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for Han. He looked like a great guy" Rose knew that Rey had been with Finn on Starkiller Base, and that she'd most likely witnessed the former Rebellion General's death in the hands of the cruel Kylo Ren.

"Thanks."

The two remained quiet, and Rose was feeling an urge to just rush away from the heroine next to her. But then she remembered that Jedi could use the Force, so that could mean...

"Uh, Master Jedi?" Rey widened her eyes at Rose's calling. She was barely an apprentice to Luke, so why was she calling her 'Master'?

"Can I ask you a favor? Please?" Rose asked, curiosity filling her mind. Maybe, just maybe, it was true.

"Of course. What is it?"

Rose gulped, and said :

"My sister passed away during the evacuation of D'Qar." She momentarily closed her eyes, shaking away the painful memories of the happy times she'd had with Paige.

"I know. Her sacrifice saved us all."

Indeed it had. Rose focused her gaze on Rey, and continued :

"I've heard that when a person dies, she becomes one with the Force. You can feel the force, can't you?"

Rey bit her lip, getting curious as well "Yes, I can. Why?

Rose held her hands together, and took the courage to take a step forward, facing the Jedi.

"Do you think you can, somehow, feel her? See if she's ok?"

Rey almost gasped. She'd never attempted such a thing. Moving objects was the best she could do, and she had no control over the Bond yet. This was entirely different.

Or maybe it wasn't. Master Luke had taught her how to feel the Force back on Ahch-To. How to balance the Light and Darkness of the planet, and how to let it flow through her.

She could try to use the same method now.

"I'll do my best" She replied, smiling "Give me your hands."

Rose froze. She was actually going to touch a Jedi.

Trembling, she raised her hands, and Rey took them in her own. She held them close, diving into the Force, using Rose's feelings as a guide. She was troubled, much like she was, but her feelings were her compass.

Focusing more, she tried to look at each corner for a presence, but it was in vain. There was nothing.

"She isn't there, is she?"

Rey opened her eyes, seeing a tear fall down Rose's right eye. Her lips were shaking, and Rey felt as if she herself was going to cry.

But then there was something. A spark of determination. A small yet powerful presence. It wasn't strong with the Force, but it was something.

And it came from... Rose?

No. Something with Rose.

Rey saw a necklace in the mechanic's neck, and asked :

"Can I see your necklace?"

Rose took the object out of her head and gave it to Rey "It's from my homeworld. My sister had one just like it, and when combined the two would from a full moon."

Rey smirked, knowing what to do. She took Rose's hand alongside the necklace, and closed her eyes. She searched thbrough the Force, following the presence she'd felt before, and then, it struck her. A wave of sorrow and regret, but full of happiness, pride, joy and care. She looked at Rose smiling, and it appeared as if the young mechanic had felt the same.

"She's ok. She loves you so much Rose. She'll always be with you."

Rose gave her a big smile, with tears of joy leaving her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you so much Master Jedi!" Rose said, and without thinking, hugged Rey. The former scavanger was surprised, but hugged her back. Rose seemed to get aware of what she was doing, and backed away.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so thankful for this, Master Jedi!"

"You can call me Rey." She said, grinning. Rose looked down, happiness eminating from her face.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks Rey."

"You're welcome." Rey said, and feeling as if Rose needed it, she hugged her again. Rose froze in place, not expecting this from a Resistance heroine, but even so, she returned the favor.

"Now come. Finn must be dying of worry for you."

"For me? He's not my butler or something like that!."

Rey chuckled, and headed to the common room with Rose, joining the other Resistance members. Finn noticed the two young women, and got closer.

"Rose, are you feeling better?" He asked, putting a hand in the engineer's shoulder.

"I am, thanks for asking. Rey helped me to get alive."

Finn looked at Rey, and smiled. Rey returned the gesture, happy "Did Poe manage to clean his necklace?"

Finn sighed, but playfully "Took some while for him to remove the whole thing, but it looks brand new now."

"What was so important about it in the end?" Rey asked. A voice came from behind her, and Rose jumped, getting scared by Poe's sudden appearence.

"This necklace has my mother's wedding ring. It's all I have left from her. I'm just waiting so that one day I might find the love of my life and give it to this person." The pilot ran his fingers through the ring, as if he was caressing it.

"Well, good luck in your search." Finn said, crossing his arms. Poe looked at him, freezing mentally. Rey felt a small shift in his presence through the Force, but couldn't figure out what it was because Poe quickly said :

"Yeah, thanks man." He passed through Finn, tapping the former stormtrooper's shoulder, but Rey could sense that there was something different about that touch.

"C'mon, let's join the others at the table." Rose said, snapping Rey out of her thoughts, and she and Finn followed the mechanic to the table. In the couch sat Leia and General Ematt, with Commander D'Acy and C'ai Threnali managing the hologram in front of them.

"Rose, glad to see you here. Are you ok?" General Organa asked.

"Yes, General. Don't worry." Rose was still a little shaken by the events that had taken place two weeks earlier, but thanks to Rey she could feel more relaxed knowing that her sister was at piece in the Force.

"Good. We need all the bravery we can have, and I know you have the guts for it." She said, pointing her cane at Rose. The mechanic grinned, and Leia shifted her gaze towards Rey "I need to speak with you later, alone."

Rey's eyes widened. Did Leia have a special assignment for her?

The General turned her attention to the hologram, and said :

"We'll activate the signal in orbit of Sullust. Hopefully it will be strong enough to reach our allies. We need new power cells and fuel, and because we can't get near any major world without drawing attention of the First Order, we'll stay only half an hour. If we don't find anyone, we jump again, but let's hope someone hears us. We are in an alarming need of supplies."

Rey bit her lip. She remembered her talk to _him._ She didn't know if he had already issued the order for his men to quit the search for the Resistance. But do to the incident on Dantooine of a man acting off his chain of command, she feared that someone would disobey his rule sooner or later.

The fact that _he_ crossed her mind coincided with Leia staring at her, serious and raising an eyebrow, and that made Rey feel a shiver in her spine. Maybe it wasn't a special assignment after all.

The General stood up, taking her cane "That's all for now. May the Force be with us."

The Resistance members returned to what they were doing, which couldn't be much do to the _Falcon's_ size. Leia walked towards Rey, and said :

"Come to my room, now."

Rey felt a cold sensation, but followed the older woman. The two entered Leia's quarters, and the General activated the soundproof system. She turned to face Rey.

"I feel as if you're not being fully honest with me, Rey."

Rey opened her mouth. She didn't keep anything from Leia, except for...

"About what, Leia?"

"What happened when you were with Luke and when you faced Snoke?"

Rey sit, replying :

"I already told you. Luke refused to train me and to believe there was any good in Ben, so I got there and tried to bring him to the Light. He killed Snoke, but instead of redeeming himself, he took control of the First Order."

Leia sighed, holding her cane firmly "There's something more to it, isn't there?"

Rey thought for a moment, short enough for Leia not to find it suspicious. Could she tell her about the Bond? The shock would be too big for her to handle it.

" _Yeah, lying is a better option_." Rey thought, and said :

"There isn't Leia. I swear..."

Leia rolled her eyes, and weakly hit her cane in Rey's head. The young Jedi looked at her, disbelieved. Leia ignored her look, and spoke :

"Cut the crap Rey. I'm no Jedi and I wasn't trained in the ways of the Force, but I can still feel it. I sensed his presence here about two hours ago, and yesterday as well. Tell me the truth now."

Rey gasped. She knew Leia had the Force, but didn't know she was strong to this extent. But if she could use it to pull herself from space back to the _Raddus,_ like Finn had told her, then she shouldn't be surprised she could sense presences. Rey lowered her head.

"When I was in the island, I found out I had a Force Bond with Ben. We can't see each other's surroundings, but we can interact with objects through it, and use some Force abilities as well. That's how I found out how he turned to the Dark Side, and why I sensed the good in him and went to Snoke's ship. He also gave me the Bacta patch I'm using right now. We're short in medical supplies." For some reason she felt more relaxed when the words left her mouth. It was good to talk to someone about the Bond that wasn't _him._

"I noticed that." Leia said, putting her hand in Rey's lap "Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?"

She gulped, and spoke :

"I didn't know how you would react. I thought you were going to isolate me or something. I also needed to learn more about this Bond, but it only reappeared yesterday."

"I'm not going to isolate you or something extrem as that, but you have to tell me more. You didn't leak any of our plans, did you?" Leia asked, concerned. Rey turned, answering :

"No, of course not! I would never do that to you guys, you're my family!"

Leia smiled, swinging her cane. They remained in silence for a moment, until Leia talked again.

"What do you know about this 'Bond'?"

Rey bit her lip "When I confronted Snoke he said he was the one who had created it. But now that he's dead, the Bond is still bridging our minds, so we think there's more to it than Snoke's influence."

"We?" The General asked, getting curious.

"Yes, we." Rey made an urge not to bring _him_ up to her thoughts too much "We've talked about the Bond, and we've both agreed that it must stop." Rey felt the same pain she'd felt when she'd told him those exact same words "He agreed to draw the Order's attention while I try to make us not attack them while we search for ways to close the Bond."

"Well, don't worry because we're not attacking the First Order any time soon with the _Falcon_ alone." Leia chuckled "How are you going to find a way to close it?"

"I've taken some books from Luke's island. Ancient Jedi Texts. Maybe they have something that can help us."

Leia nodded, not surprised. She had seen some old books in one of the _Falcon's_ drawers, and she doubted those were Han's. He'd never been one interested in reading.

But a thought crossed Leia's mind. Maybe this Bond could work to the Resistance's advantage.

"Rey, I'm not going to tell anybody about this Bond. It's a secret between you and me."

"Thank you." Rey said, holding Leia's hand.

"But I think you shouldn't close it just yet."

She quickly let go her hand, and stood up. As much as a part of her wanted the Bond to continue to exist for some reason, she knew it was too dangerous.

"Leia, are you crazy? This Bond threats the entire Resistance, if there even is one by this point! We're the last survivors, and I don't know if he is being honest with me. He could be using me from what I know!" Something deep inside her told her that it wasn't true, and that he was being loyal to his word. But even so, caution was needed.

Leia got up, propping herself with the cane "I know Rey. But think the other way around : You could use him instead."

A strange feeling popped up in her chest, as if it were betrayal. _Why was Leia proposing this?_

"Leia, I gave him my word. We won't attack him until-"

"You've said it yourself that we can't fully trust him, Rey!" Leia said, cutting Rey's reply off "Trust me, I don't want to this this either. I do still have hope that one day he will come back to us, but right now, willingly or not, he's the enemy, and an opportunity like this to learn about the First Order's plans is too big for you to let it pass by. Rey, this could be the key for our survival! And besides, you won't be attacking the Order directly : you will simply trick him to tell you about their plans. You can be our spy."

Rey processed what Leia had said. She was right, this was a chance to predict what their enemy would do, and it would help in their quest to overthrow the First Order. But still, she had made a promise to him. _Should she break her word?_

"Leia, I-I... I don't know..."

The older woman smiled, and started heading to the door. But before leaving, she said :

"I'll leave it up for you to decide. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do. If in the end you think that breaking the connection you have with my son is the best course of action, then do it. But think about what we could learn from this Bond. It might be worth the risk."

Rey stared at Leia, her mind getting tormented. Should she close it and save her friends, or leave it open and save her friends?

And... Betray _him_?

The door opened, and Leia stepped out.

"I'm sure you will make the right call. Don't feel yourself pressed, Rey. Be calm until you make your decision." And with that Leia left, probably heading to the common room to discuss plans with Commander D'Acy.

She gazed at the wall, troubled. Leia had a good point, no doubt. But could she do such a thing as lying to him? She knew she'd disappointed him when she hadn't joined him after Snoke's death, but then they didn't have a common goal. Now they did, and if closing the Bond was what they thought was the right thing to do, then they would do it.

 _But that didn't explain the pain that came to her chest when she thought about it._

She wanted to scream. She headed to the door and checked if the soundproof system was still on, and after confirming it was, she let out a loud and sad yell.

She tried to calm herself, remembering Leia's words. She didn't have to accept her offer, but even then it was too good for her to deny it. The Resistance would need everything they needed if they were to succeed in this war, and the Supreme Leader would certainly be the person with most information about the regime.

And even then, she was being torn apart. But she had time to think about it. Rey looked up, staring at the ceiling, imagining his face, and then said :

"Ben, what is going on with me?"

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter! I wanted to deveçop Rey's use of her Force powers, and sensing Paige's presence in the Force seemed like a good way to do so. After all, it's not always that we need action, right? Poe's necklace has his mother's wedding ring, and I got that information from the Visual Dictionary for the Last Jedi. I liked his mother in the Shattered Empire comics, and c'mon, anyone that teams up with Luke becomes instantly awesome.**

 **And last but not least, now Leia knows about the Bond. I wanted to start this story with Leia already knowing about it, but I thought that making her finding it out just later on and giving Rey that plan to keep it open would give better story elements for the overall narrative. Now we just have to wait and see what Rey will do now.**

 **We'll stick with Rey and the Resistance for the next couple of chapters, so expect more internal struggle for Rey and some side things with Finn, Poe and Rose. I promise there will be less Porgs this time, though ;)**

 **I have an important message for you guys by the end of the chapter. But first, let's answer your reviews :**

 **Abby Pickard : When it comes to Force Bond chapters I'll try my best not to make them rushed, unless the situation requires it to be. I'm really happy you liked it! Maybe my headache was just playing with my mind after all. I'll do my best so that the incoming chapters will be as good as the last one, and thank you for your kind words for this story and for me! I highly appreciate it!**

 **MythStar Black Dragon : Because I'm stupid and I don't know how to drive a plot forward. JUST KIDDING. I hope... Ahem! Well, they are not sure about how they feel about the Bond, each other and the situation as a whole. How they'll begin to open up to one another, you'll have to wait and see...**

 **Tessawrites94 : Really? I've seen some similar plot ideas like the one I've put it in here, but in most cases they were only insignificant lines or scrapped ideas, so I got curious if this was to happen, and honestly, it's what I think Kylo and Rey would agree to do, even though the two of don't want it to end, in a way. Well, here's a new chapter for you! And I'm happy you were able to understand their emotions with my writing.**

 **.Thinker : I'm glad you think so! I hope the next ones are as well!**

 **Marianita-chan : Well, come aboard, because FF has been bugging with me as well. Sometimes my reviews don't get posted or my chapters don't get published. *sigh* Let's hope one day most of it is fixed. Thank you for loving this story, and well, I'm excited as well!**

 **Now, to the message. So people, I know it's a bad thing, but I might take longer to upload new chapters. Allow me to explain myself :**

 **1- From this point forward, this story is going to expand it's dimensions and possibilities. I wanted to make a Reylo fic, obviously, but also one that could detail the state of th** **e rest of the Galaxy after what happened in Episodes VII and VIII. This is supposed to be like TCW, but written and with loads of Reylo. The focus of the story will still be in Kylo and Rey, but there will be chapters that will flash out what Leia, Hux, Finn, Rose, Poe and the rest are up to. Again, don't worry, most chapters will be Reylo centric.**

 **2- I live in Brazil, so it's not a safe place, and Monday I was robbed in front of my home. They took my phone and wallet while pointing a gun to my back. After that I got into some trouble with my family and... Let's say I'm traumatized, and I'll need some time to recover physically and mentally. I don't want you guys to pity me or to be sorry for me, I just want you to comprehend and to be a little patient.**

 **I'm really sorry if the decision I've reached doesn't please you. It's just that I need to think about what I've been doing recently, and how the robbery affected me. I'm a little bit better now, but I still get nightmares from that night. I'm going into full details here, you don't need to worry about me or to know about my personal life. What matters is the story.**

 **Chapters 11 and 12 are already sketched and half written, with ideas that go up to chapter 17 already being saved and developed. This story is about to expand to a level that I personally haven't seen any Reylo fics reach, and I hope you like it. As a question for you guys, I'll ask : What characters and planets from the other movies, TV shows, comics, books and games do you want to see? Because hell, I might surprise some of you.**

 **Remember to review. I love getting your opinions and I'll always do my best to reply them. Ask questions if you will, and leave any kind of opinion, be it good or bad, it doesn't matter for me. Your thoughts help me to develop the story forward!**

 **Again, thank you guys for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	11. Chapter 11 : Reinforcements

**Hey people! I apologize for the time it took for me to upload a new chapter, but as I'd explained in the last Author's Notes, there's a reason why. I'm feeling much better now, and thank you for those who have worried for me, even do you didn't have to. I'm not going to talk too much here. You can read my rubbish by the end of the chapter xD.**

 **Reviews will be answered in the Author's Notes as well. For now, enjoy this new chapter!**

 **(Reviews are welcome!)**

Chapter 11 : Reinforcements

"General, we're preparing to drop out of hyperspace."

Leia nodded, handing the datapad in her hands to Commander D'Acy "Alright, prepare the beacon and stand by to activate it. Use low frequencies and full power to improve the signal's reach. We need to make it big enough for our allies to see it, but small enough not to bother the First Order."

"Yes, General. Connix, will you help me with this please?" D'Acy asked, heading next to the young Lieutenent. The other Resistance members all begun working on the scrambled but operational transmitter that Leia's allies had provided them. It was old, originally being a part of a Republic _Venator-class_ Star Destroyer. How that thing was even plugging and functioning with the _Falcon's_ system was beyond her, and that made Rose worried.

"You should have waited for me to wake up to install that thing!" She said, punching Finn's shoulder.

"Hey, we were in desperate need of help and that was what our allies had in store. It worked once, and I'm sure it will work again." He said, but he had to agree that the transmitter was a literal piece of junk.

"It'll only work to blow up this entire ship! You could have used me to check on the systems or the connection pipes, after all, I've been doing this my whole life. Let's hope that changes, right?"

Finn chuckled, but felt a little worried about that. Now she wouldn't only do that. She'd most likely fight in the front lines with him and the others. She'd actually hold a blaster and fire at stormtroopers. She wasn't even trained to deal with such situations, and Finn knew this do to her performance against Phasma and her troops back in the _Supremacy._ He'd train her to defend herself, gladly, but even then that wouldn't vanish the dangers she'd be facing in the battlefield.

 _"What if she gets hurt?"_

Finn frowned to this thought, before being brought back to reality by Rose.

"Hey? Big Deal? Are you still in there?" She asked, shaking her hand in front of his face.

"Oh, sorry! I uh... Got lost. What were you saying again?"

Rose rolled her eyes, but grinning "I asked who got that thing there? Must have been a lot of work just to move it here!"

"Indeed it was." Finn replied, choosing not to tell her that the day they got the transmitter it had smashed his hand in the ground, and that Poe had to take care of it as if he was his father "But R2 knew how that thing worked. Apparently he'd served on the ship model that transmitter came from. BB-8 and some of us also helped managing the wires and stuff, but Rey was the one who did most progress with it. She got it working the moment she laid her hands in it."

Rose gasped a laugh "She's just so good at everything isn't she? Jedi, pilot, mechanic... What else is she? A Rancor tamer?"

Finn laughed as well, agreeing that Rey appeared to never fail "You have no idea. When we met she flied the _Falcon_ with nothing else than an old flight simulator as training. I guess she's just good with things."

"Yeah, I wished I was like her." Rose said, looking at the Jedi quarters' door.

"With no weaknesses."

Rey was feeling weaker than she ever had. The decision she had to take was just too much for her to handle.

 _Be loyal to him or be loyal to Leia?_ That was the question.

The most obvious option would be go with Leia's proposal. Keeping the Bond open would provide them with valuable information about the First Order, and who'd be better than their Supreme Leader to give such information?

However, there would be dangers if she decided to take such action. She could unwillingly hand him their location, but closing the Bond would certainly prevent it. And more, without _him_ to bother her mind, she'd be able to contribute to the cause with full focus all the time.

But that meant that he'd be able to rule the First Order without any intervention.

But they'd made a promisse to each other. He'd sworn he wouldn't attack them until they could find the means to close this Bond. He wouldn't break his word.

 _Would he?_

She wanted to believe him. _She believed him._ Something deep in her head told her that he could be trusted, and that it would be right to agree with him.

But would it? He was the cruelest murderer in the Galaxy since the time of Darth Vader. He'd ordered the death of hundreds, if not thousands. He'd pursued the Resistance back on Crait to the point where he almost decimated it, and now, he was probably terryfing the Galaxy with rule.

No. Not _him._ That was Kylo Ren, and she hadn't promissed him anything. She'd promissed someone else. A person who was forcefully being hidden behind the shell of the dark warrior.

 _Ben Solo._

Again, whenever he came up to her mind she felt conflicted. She could sense the spark of Light residing painfully under the dark shell of the First Order's Supreme Leader. It was so small, and yet, so powerful, that even though he wasn't anywhere near her, and she knew the Bond wasn't open, she could feel as if it was there, with her, feeding her hopes to redeem him.

And the thought of his redemption being a possibility was what kept her going on. He could be the key to end this horrific war, to bring peace and the Light back to the Galaxy.

 _Is his Light all of it? Isn't there something more?_

Rey sighed, and let it out :

"I don't know."

In her head it was clear : He was the enemy. She shouldn't even talk to _him_ , not after she learned and saw the attrocities he had commited. But her feelings were mixed, and troubled. For some reason, she felt this strange sensation in her chest, and it felt bad and good at the same time.

And she hated it. This entire Force Bond stuff simply made her want to lash out against everything, to loose her sanity to the point where she'd somehow forget it all. This was simply an endless torture, and she had no idea how to handle with it.

" _Blast you, Snoke. Didn't you get what you wanted?"_ She remembered the gold-dressed bastard. He'd done all of this because he wanted Luke to die.

And sadly, it happened, but Snoke was dead as well. And that only raised more questions. Why was the Bond still open? His death should have ended it all, but even then, here she was, stuck with her mind bridged to a man she didn't know how to feel for.

There was more to it. The two of them had agreed to that. Perhaps they had judged it wrong all along.

Maybe Snoke didn't create the Bond at all.

Interesting. Now the pieces were starting to puzzle together.

Perhaps...

Rey jumped in her place when she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Rey? It's Finn. We're almost reaching Sullust, but Rose needs some help with the transmitter. Could you please help her?"

She sighed in relief that her room was locked, otherwise Finn would have questioned why she was writing in her floor, something that even her didn't realize she was doing. Everything she'd been thinking in the last hour was written down there, and she got worried. _Was she getting crazy?_

Rey ran her hand through the writing, cleaning up the floor. She then deactivated the soundproof system in her room, stepped out and saw Finn laying next to the wall, his arms crossed. He looked intently at her, as if he was studying her every move. He then said :

"You know, you've been acting quite strange recently Rey. "

 _"C'mon Finn, please don't."_ Rey was doing her best to avoid looking weird next to her fellow Resistance comrades, but the whole situation around the Bond and Leia's offer had made it very difficult, and she didn't want to talk to Finn about it. Sure, he was her best friend, but even then, keeping that information from him would do more good then saying it. So now Rey had to find a clever way of escaping Finn's curiosity.

"Well, I'm becoming a Jedi. Of course I'm strange."

Finn chuckled, stepping closer to Rey. His gaze was still locked on her face, and she was starting to get nervous. _Leia hadn't told him, right? She had promissed she wouldn't!_

 _But again, you promissed him your word as well, and even then, you're considering to break it._

Rey cursed her mind for these thoughts, and shifted her focus to the former stormtrooper.

"Right. But there's still something odd..." He said, lowering his head.

" _Crap Finn!"_

Rey raised an eyebrow, wishing this would end soon. The whole Bond thing was more than enough for her to worry about. Finn's doubts would only make it worse.

Finn pointed at her forehead, and spoke :

"It's that Bacta patch. It's bigger than your head! Makes you look like a mad Devaronian!"

Rey gasped, and hit Finn's shoulder, laughing.

"Hey! I'm only using this because you couldn't catch a Porg!"

Finn smirked, playfully pushing her aside "Well, next time you could help me. Use the Force maybe!" He mimicked the gesture someone would do when using the mystical power.

Rey rolled her eyes, smiling "Then tell me when you need it. Now, let's see what assistance I can provide Rose."

She walked towards the main room, Finn following her. He had a small smile in his face, but deep down he was feeling frustrated. Rey wasn't being exactly herself ever since she returned from her training with Luke Skywalker. He wanted to help, even though he didn't understand the Force.

But he knew one thing for sure : There was something more to Rey's weirdness.

They passed through the Resistance members who were gathered around the transmitter. Rose had fixed a lot of the problems in the old machine, and also did some necessary adjustments. Rey walked behind the transmitter, seeing BB-8 helping the young mechanic.

"BB-8, please hand me the screwdriver." She said, working on the transmitter's painels.

"Hey, need a hand?"

Rose looked up to see Rey crouching next to her. She smiled, saying :

"Two actually! BB-8 here has none to help me, so please!"

Rey looked at the astromech droid, that responded to Rose's comment by showing his pinch in a rather insultive way. Rey widened her eyes.

"BB-8, manners!" She said, twinkling with his antenna. The BB unit simply beeped some nonsense in response, and rolled away. Rey ignored him, and started looking at the painel.

"Wow, you've done a pretty good job here!"

Rose grinned, finishing her work under the machine "Thanks. I'm surprised I managed to fix some of these systems. Clone War era technology is really surpassed now on days."

"True. But here, you forgot to plug the terminal wire with the electricity source." Rey said, swiftly putting the things back in order. Rose was surprised.

"Finn was right, you're really good with everything!"

Rey smiled, but in the back of her mind she knew it wasn't true. She wasn't good with everything. She wasn't good with _him._

She blinked, forgetting her thoughts for what would hopefully be enough time to get the transmitter working.

"Alright, now get the left pipe while I get the right one. On three, we plug it in, okay?" Rose said. Rey nodded, and got next to the _Falcon's_ main circuits. Rose neared, her pipe in hands.

"One, two... Three!" They connected, and with a loud noise the transmitter activated. Rose got up and begun tempering with the controls, adjusting the frequency.

"Ok, it's working. Now we only need to exit hyperspace." Rose said, and one second later, Poe's voice could be heard in the intercom.

"Guys, we're dropping out of hyperspace..."

The _Millenium Falcon_ shook a little.

"Now. Turn on the beacon!"

Rose flipped a switch, and with that, the signal activated. Rey and Finn headed to the cockpit, meeting with Poe, Leia, Chewie and R2.

"Alright, keep the beacon stable Rose." Poe said, leaning in to speak through the com.

"Okay. Tell us if someone comes." The mechanic replied.

"Don't worry, we will." Poe slid back in his chair, looking at Leia "Thirty minutes, right General?"

"Yes. If no one comes, we'll move. Let's hope it doesn't happen." The woman said, resting her cane aside. Chewie then groaled something to Leia.

"Yes, you're right Chewie, as always." She said, holding one of the Wookie's hands. Rey smiled at Chewie's comment, but Finn didn't understand anything. It'd take time for him to learn Shyriiwook, and from his point of view, that sucked.

Two minutes passed by. Then five. Ten now. Leia turned her seat towards Rey, asking :

"Are you okay, Rey?"

"Besides for the Bacta patch, I'm better than never." Rey replied, but she knew what Leia was actually meaning. At least she had given her time to think about what to do concerning the Bond, and Rey was grateful for it. The General wouldn't force her to do anything, after all, in the end what mattered was the safety of the Resistance and hope in the Galaxy.

The only problem would be the weight of her decision.

"Great. Remember, if you need anything, I'll be there for you." Leia said, caressing her hand. Rey grinned in return, hoping that she would indeed make the right decision.

Twenty minutes. Finn was already sleeping by the _Falcon's_ wall, and Chewie was almost doing so as well. They were all tired from waiting. After the events that transpired in response to what the Galaxy now called 'The Hosnian Cataclysm', fighting against the First Order seemed like an almost impossible task, which was even harder when you were their number one enemy. Rey was sure _he_ 'd already issued the order for his men to stand down in their search for the Resistance, but Leia had no doubt that General Hux was slobbering with the idea of anihilating the rebels once and for all. It wasn't a question of if they'd find them, it was a question of when. At least with their flagship not operational it would take time for them to activate the hyperspace tracker.

Twenty five minutes, then twenty eight. Leia looked at Poe, who was sharing her disappointment. She sighed.

"Prepare to deactivate the beacon. Charge the hyperdrive." The General said, her voice defeated. They no longer had any medical supplies, and food and water would last for mostly two days. That is, if the fuel didn't end before. Otherwise, the life support systems would shut down and they'd all die drifting in the vacum of space.

"Yes, General." The pilot said, flicking the switches to prepare for the jump. Rey froze in her seat, thinking about the situation. They were so critical that all the First Order would need to do was to wait for them to die by the lack of resources. And that was something that drew the other's hope away. They'd never live to see a free Galaxy. Finn, Leia, Poe, Rose, Chewie. None of them would have a happily ever after.

 _Not even Ben_.

Suddenly, a light begun flickering in the console. Chewie roared, managing the controls.

"I see it! General, we have signals closing in!" Poe said. Leia took her cane, standing up.

"Is it the First Order?" She asked. Rey woke Finn up, helping him to stand up.

"Hey, get ready to go to the turrets." She said, handing him his jacket.

"Why? They found us?" Finn asked, his breathing intensifying already.

"We don't know, but it's better to be prepared."

Leia stared at the vastness of spaces. She was willing to already accept her fate in case they'd found them. Rey had told her _he_ wouldn't search for them until they came to an agreement with the Bond, but right now, Leia had no idea what to expect. At least if she died she'd be reunited with her husband and her brother.

But that wouldn't take away the guilt of not redeeming her son.

R2 beeped that the signals were dropping out of hyperspace. Everyone's gaze was locked at the window, hesitant to see who was there to meet them. Their breathing was heavy, including the one from the Porg that was next to Poe.

And then, the ships appeared in front of the _Falcon_.

"What? Those are X-Wings!" Poe shouted, laughing. The others were surprised with joy. Rey thought that all the Resistance's X'Wings had been destroyed during the attack on the Resistance fleet, but thankfully, she was wrong.

"This is Blue and Red Squadrons contacting the _Millenium Falcon_. Can you hear me?"

Poe immediately recognized the voice in the intercom, and spoke happily :

"Snap! Am I glad to hear your voice man! Is everyone there okay!?"

Temmin Wexley's laugh could be easily heard, a clear indication of his happiness "Zero casualties on our mission, Poe. Everyone's here buddy! Here, all wings report in!"

"Blue Three standing by!" Jessica Pava said.

"Red Four standing by!" Lieutenant Bastian said, with a smile as wide as the rings of Geonosis on his face.

"Red Six standing by!" Yolo Ziff said.

"Blue Eight standing by!" Niv Lek said, finishing the wings presents.

Poe sighed in relief, hiting the console as if he was playing a song "You have no idea how glad we are to have you guys here!"

Leia decided that she had to speak as well "Welcome back, squadrons. Good job not loosing anyone, Captain Wexley."

"Thank you General." Snap said through the com. But he realized that it was strange that only the _Falcon_ was present there. So he asked "Where's the rest of the fleet?"

A wave of cold silence hit everyone in the cockpit. The wounds were still fresh, and they still hadn't had enough time to mourn for the losses.

But then again, this was war, and someone had to give the bad news. And that someone would be Leia.

"I'm sorry, Captain. This is all that's left."

No one said anything for a couple of seconds. Rey was feeling really bad that what was supposed to be a happy moment was having such a sad feel to it.

"Oh Karabast." Pava's shock was heard through the intercom. Wexley then decided to speak :

"That's... unfortunate. May those who have fallen be one with the Force, and may the Force be with them." Everyone remained quiet, showing off their respect for every sacrifice made by the Resistance.

"I'm sorry to break the ice, but uhm... I was hoping we could bring a little gift for the fleet." Snap said, and everyone got curious. What was he talking about?

Finn stepped in, asking :

"What do you mean with 'little gift?'"

Temmin chuckled, verifying his sensors "You'll see soon enough."

They looked at each other, confused. And then, a ship dropped out of hyperspace in front of them, but it was larger than the _Falcon,_ possibly around the size of the Resistance's old _Nebulon-C_ Frigate. In fact...

"A _Nebulon-K_? You gotta be kidding me!" Poe exclaimed, the smile coming back to his mouth. Leia felt a good feeling she didn't feel since the times of the Rebellion : Reassurence. The Resistance was finally going to regain it's power.

"Trust your eyes, Poe! We found it orbiting a First Order station next to our mission's target, so we decided to borrow it. Don't worry, we've deactivated it's transmitter and threw away the First Order beacon. We even got some voluntiers who are aboard the Frigate for the cause!" Wexley said.

Leia grinned "Congratulations on your success, Captain. You're the candle we were needing to walk these dark corridors."

Rey smiled at Leia's comment. No matter what the situation was, the older woman had a unic way with words. Words that could inspire the entire Galaxy.

Finn activated the _Falcon's_ intercom, saying :

"Everyone, we've contacted Blue and Red Squadrons. They are here to help!"

Cheers could be heard from the _Falcon's_ common room, but these were rapidly ignored by the sound of steps running across the freighter's corridor, and suddenly, Rose jumped on top of Finn, hugging the ex-stormtrooper. He was shocked, but hugged back, and Rey laughed hard from his expression. Poe, on the other hand, tried to avoid the sight, something that Leia weirdly noticed.

"Alright, but that's not all. Because when we left the base was being evacuated, we thought that it'd be good for us to look for a new one. And we found it!" Wexley said, his voice indicating that he was very proud of himself.

"Snap, one day you'll kill me from surprises!" The two pilots laughed.

Leia approached, speaking in the com.

"Well done. Where is this base?"

"Sending you the coordinates now. There's nothing built there yet, but I'm sure we can do a lot of progress there." Temmin said, turning off his com. The coordinates came through, and R2 showed them off in a screen in the controls. Leia looked over, analysing the information. Then, she grinned.

Chewie muffled a question, and Poe repeated :

"Yeah General, what is it?"

Leia stood up, grabbing her cane "This planet is the sight of an old rebel base. It was destroyed during the Galactic Civil War, but I doubt the First Order would go there. It's very isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, the perfect spot for our base. How did I not think about that place before?"

Everyone stared at the General, interested in what she'd just said. After everything they'd been through, they'd always find a way to build up from the ashes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Poe asked, looking at the rest. Chewie, Leia, Rose, Finn and Rey all nodded, and he took on the wheel "Alright, let's do this. All ships and crew, prepare for jump to hyperspace!"

Without any further second, the ships were ingulfed in the blue trails of hyperspace, heading towards their next home. Rey gazed at the lines the passing stars made, dreaming of the good things that would happen now that not only they now had reinforcements, but also a base. The fight against the First Order would finally start to become more even. They wouldn't be the prey anymore, it was time for them to engage in mutual ground. Of course, these were their first steps, and it'd still take some time for them to represent a serious threat to the evil regime, but still, it simbolozed hope.

And hope would be what would defeat the First Order. What would vanquish evil in the Galaxy. What would save everyone from the dark shadow of tyranny. What would redeem the Dark Side.

What would one day, hopefully, redeem _him._

 **And it's over! You don't know how hard I found it difficult to write this chapter. First of all, it was ready since last friday, but then when I was going to edit it to put my Author's Note my house ran out of light and the computer shut off. When I turned it on again, I'd lost the file. So guess what? I had to rewrite the entire chapter. GREAT! I still think the original product was much better, specially because it included more of Rey's thoughts. But well, I tried to put in as much as I could remember, so I'm sorry if it felt lazy or even boring. I promisse that the next chapter will be much better.**

 **So, talking about the chapter itself. As we all know, R2 is one of the oldest droids in the Galaxy, so it'd make sense that he'd be one of the few who'd know how to use a _Venator_ Star Destroyer's transmitter, because as we all know, he served in one of those ships during the Clone Wars. If you didn't know this, c'mon, go watch TCW. I tried to develop Finn and Rose's relationship a little bit in here, specially on Finn's side of things. He simply doesn't know how to react to her actions. But apparently there's someone jealous...**

 **And Rey thinking about the Bond. I wanted her to feel conflicted about taking a decision between Kylo and Leia. Many people complain that her character has no issues, so I wanted her to have to face some struggles, and because she can't have a physicall one just yet, she'll deal with a mental one for now.**

 **And Snap Wexley is back! For those who don't know, he's the fat bearded pilot in The Force Awakens (I feel bad calling him fat because I don't want to offend anyone. I'm sorry if I did. But it's true, he's fat ;-;), and the other pilots are from TFA as well. Nien Numb is not with them because he's in the _Falcon_ with the other Resistance survivors. You didn't see them in The Last Jedi because, according to Canon sources, they were in a separate mission during the events of the movie. So, I figured that I should bring them back sooner or later, right?**

 **And now the Resistance has a fleet! Even though it's 5 X-Wings, An old YT-1300 freighter and a _Nebulon-K_ Frigate. According to Wookiepedia, _Nebulon-K_ s are First Order ships only, which makes sense, considering the _Nebulon-B_ was originally an imperial design stolen by the rebels. But hey, those Frigates are better in the good guys' hands. **

**And now, they set off for their base! Can you guess which planet it is located? It has an old but destroyed rebel base, so that already puts some canditates in the main spot.**

 **Remember to review. It really helps me to develop the plot, and overall I love getting your opinions. I have a special gift for you guys by the end of the chapter, but before that, let's answer your reviews :**

 **Xanderlike : Thank you. I know my life comes before anything else, it's just that I feel as if I can't leave you guys disappointed, and a lack of uploads would do that. But you're right, anyone who doesn't think that is not worth caring for. So thank you for the inspiring words.**

 **Tessawrites94 : I'm grateful for your kind words. Thank God I'm still here, otherwise who'd continue this story, huh? Thank you for your concern, and dearest God bless for you as well.**

 **Unknown Guest : Really? I don't think my writing is good enough to give someone such a reaction, but hey, if it pleases you, it means I'm doing something right, doesnt it?**

 **SirLoozElite : My friend, my friend! I didn't expect to see you here! I'm so happy you've finally seen TLJ, and most of all, read my fic. It is a true honor, I can assure you. And don't worry, you're writing reviews better than I do ;) I agree that Kylo and Rey's Bond was one of the highlights of the movie, and I wanted to continue this strange yet interestig dynamic. I hope their future interactions please you as well. I can see why you're not a Reylo shipper, and I myself wasn't one until my third viewing of the movie. And you're right : any ship when written right is good, and your ship of Kaeden and Ahsoka is a good proof of that. At first I was unsure of it, but after a few chapters I started to like it more and more. I like Rose as well, and I think she'd do great with Rey. And hey, I can understand if you don't like Poe. He wasn't the most compeling character in the movie, so let's see if I can redeem him as Rey is trying to redeem Kylo. And hey, don't worry about suggestions, I'm always open for new ideas, so if have any, feel free to say them just like I did when you needed help. Remember the Death Star's Kyber Crystals? I tried to help you as best as I could, and I can say by all the kind reviews in your last story that my aid paid off. And for characters you want to see, trust me, you're going to be very pleased. And last but not least, thank you for worrying about me. The event won't put me down, and if I keep looking back how am I going to step forward, right? That's the past, and hey, the police has got evidence from the guys, so things might turn out to be fine.**

 **Well, now let's go to the special gift. Since I took quite a long time to update, I feel as if I owe you guys. I know that I should take all the time I could to recover, but I'm feeling much better now, so yeah, I'll try to update more often. Now, as a small tease for you, here are some of the names for future chapters. Some of them I won't fully reveal for curiosity's sake, and they are not in order of release. So, let's see if you can figure out what they are about :**

 **\- The Battle of *** **********

 **\- A ******* Return**

 **\- **** Trails**

 **\- The Last **********

 **\- Rens**

 **\- ******* Squad**

 **\- Soldier of the **********

 **\- ****** of the Unknown Regions**

 **\- Cityworld**

 **\- **** Teachings**

 **\- A General's Plans**

 **For those who find out what each chapter's name is, tell me your conclusions. Again, they are not in order of release, and some of them will take a long time to come out, but hey, it's fun to speculate isn't it?**

 **Thank you all for reading, and in closing, don't forget :**

 **May the Force be with you...**

 **Always.**


	12. Chapter 12 : Confusion

**Hy there!**

 **So thanks to the complicated yet creative and amazing mind of Dave Filoni I've figured out that I'm gonna have to change some aspects of this story. Well that's the problem with the Force : The more you think you know about it, the more it surprises you. Damn the World Between Worlds. If you haven't seen that Rebels episode, do so before the Finale arrives!**

 **Without further ado, let's get to the chapter shall we?**

 **(Leave your opinions in the reviews!)**

Chapter 12 : Confusion

A desert planet. As if there weren't enough in the Galaxy. However, this one was in some regards different from Jakku : Instead of having huge sand dunes and miles of lifeless landscapes, this planet possessed a rocky surface, covered in some weird coral-like structures. The sky had an orange touch to it, and the rotations here lasted longer, probably the equivalent of two or three standard days. Furthermore, life forms seemed to be abundant here, with little shelled creatures already teeming the area where the new base would be built.

But still, it was a desert planet, and the dry atmosphere was something that Rey didn't realize she'd missed. Spending almost her entire life on Jakku had certainly left it's mark on her being, and she didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. At least it had taught her how to survive.

And survival was the top priority for the Resistance at the moment.

Their condition was much better now, thanks to the return of Blue and Red Squadrons. They'd brought supplies, personnel and ships for the cause, and the meere fact that she was going to eat real food instead of tasteless ration bars made Rey's self esteem buff up to the heights.

But it wasn't all flowers. Although the stolen _Nebulon-K_ had a small prefabricated ground base in it's complements, settling it on the surface was a whole mess. The day they arrived on the planet a sandstorm broke out, ravaging some of the structures in the settlements, and in the second day some spider-like creatures attacked the place, and were only drawn away after Finn and Poe managed to desperately scramble some old sensor markers in the old rebel base's wreckage.

Leia had told Rey about this planet's history with the Rebellion. Long before she was born, a rebel cell known as Phoenix Squadron had settled here to plan their attacks against the Galactic Empire. Leia herself had helped the rebels that lived here in her teenage years, and she even told her that this particular cell had a strong reputation, do to it having two Jedi members in it. At first Rey thought that Master Luke had been the only Jedi to fight in the Rebellion, but apparently there were indeed more. Leia didn't remember the Jedi's names, but Rey would possibly find out their identity once they salvaged what they could from the old base. Maybe they even left some necessary wisdom behind that could help her to comprehend the Force as a whole.

But right now, her concerns were centered on why the hell Finn was running like a damsel in distress across the base.

"Rey! Rey! Rey!" He screamed, and allowed himself to take some air once he'd reached her.

"Finn, calm down! What happened?" She asked, putting her hand in his shoulder. He stopped panting, and rose his head to look at her.

"It's one of those crawling things from yesterday, it's in the command center!" He said, desperation in his eyes.

"I thought they weren't going to get near us after we installed those sensor beacons!"

"Well," He said, trembling a little "thought wrong!"

She rolled her eyes, and started walking towards the command center, and Finn quickly tried to stop her.

"Wait, you're not going there, are you?" He raised an eyebrow, giving his signature concerned face to her.

"Yes I am." She said, grabbing his arm, and instantly Finn froze "And you're coming with me. The two of us will have higher chances to take it down than one alone."

"You can't be serious! That thing's gonna eat us!" He yelled, sweeting.

"Didn't you even try to shoot the damn spider?" She asked, getting bored by Finn's childish attitude.

"It was too dark, I couldn't see a thing. I only heard a sound and some stuff falling to the floor, and then I ran to you."

"Okay, just slow down and keep your blaster in hands." She said, drawing the pistol Han had given her "Let's hunt the bug." She continued walking, and Finn followed her hesitantly.

They then reached the command center, and stood in front of the blastdoor. Finn was clenching his teeth, but Rey tried to remain fearless. Those spiders were probably just doing what their instinct told them to do, and truthfully, they were invading their habitat, so it made some sense that they'd be a little pissed off.

Rey knocked the door , and waited "Let's make it come to us, then we'll shoot it together."

"Alright." Finn said, aiming his gun to the door. They heard something approaching, and suddenly, the blastdoor opened it. _Could those things open doors now?_

Rose stepped out of the settlement, only to be met by Rey and Finn with their blasters drawn towards her. She instantly gasped, and rose her hands.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! What's going on!?" She said, nervous. Rey lowered her pistol, relieved, but also confused.

"Rose! Are you fine?" She asked, approaching the mechanic.

"I hope so! I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" She asked, looking at Finn "Hey, could you please stop aiming that thing in my head?"

Finn shivered "Rose, there was a crawler in the command center, I know it. Didn't you see it?"

Rose stared at Finn intently, and then burst out in laughs. Finn wasn't understanding a thing, but Rey was.

"There wasn't anything in there, right?" She asked, grinning.

Rose tried to contain her laughs, and replied :

"Of course not! It was me you dummy! General Organa had told me to install the power cells in the command center so that we could use the lights and the equipment, but when I got there I accidentally dropped the box with the cells, and next thing I see is you running out like a Blurrg!" Her laughs returned, and this time Rey joined her, leaving Finn with a poker face.

"I-uh, I mean, I-I didn't see a thing, so..."

Rose simply rolled her eyes, getting near him and poking his nose "You're so cute when you are confused!" And with that, she walked away, heading to the barracks to meet up with some of the Resistance members. Rey then tapped Finn's back, saying :

"You should trust less in your radical side and more in your rational side."

"Yeah. Sorry I scared you." He said, letting the panic go away.

Rey chuckled "And next time try not to look dope when your girlfriend flirts with you!"

"Hey, I told you, it's not like that!" Finn said with a serious expression.

"C'mon Finn, sooner or later you'll have to accept what you feel."

Finn sighed "The problem is that I don't know how to feel, Rey! That kiss was just a random thing that she probably did in a moment of pure adrenaline, and she doesn't even remember it!"

Rey crossed her arms "So you don't like her?"

"I never said that."

Rey smirked "So you like her?"

Finn shook his head "No- GAH! I just... Rey, I really have no idea what's going on!"

"Look Finn, sooner or later you're gonna have to face it by talking to her."

Finn pressed his lips, running his hand through his hair "Just let me think, okay? Give me some time."

"Alright. But if you need anything, just tell me." She said.

"Thanks Rey." He hugged her, then headed to the landing pads to help Poe with the ships' fuelling.

She allowed a smile to appear in her face. Rey didn't know a lot about love and relationships, but she'd do anything to help Finn with his issues. Perhaps she could even talk to Rose about it.

She had to admit, it was pretty funny to see Finn not knowing how to handle such situation.

But it reminded her of herself as well. The mixture of unknown and strange feelings that would storm her mind whenever the Bond appeared. Whenever _he_ was close.

It wasn't affection, like what she assumed Finn and Rose had. But the Bond itself made her want to be with him, to know him. _To save him._

Even now that she was probably light years away from him she could sense his troubled mind. And that gave her an idea.

 _"What if I manage to see him without him seeing me?"_

Rey bit her lip, curious. She ran towards the _Falcon_ , which was landed near the supplies settlement, and entered her room, locking the door. She sat on her bed, crossing her legs, and proceeded to deep into the Force just like Luke had taught her on Ahch-To. She followed her instincts, searching for his presence within the mystical power.

And then, a flickering of light. She was in the right path. She could see the dark shell that capsuled the spark of good inside of _him._ And then, she could see _him._

The conditions were similar to when the Bond bridged their minds, but the enviroment was more shady. She looked at her hands, and realized that she was transparent.

 _"Okay, this is new."_ She thought, amazed by what she was doing. Somehow she'd managed to unlock one of the Bond's secret features.

But she sensed that such feat was taking it's tool on her, as she could feel her body starting to weaken. So she had to be fast.

She returned her gaze to _him._ She hated the idea of stalking people, but just a little bit wouldn't be a problem. _Right?_

He was sitting in what appeared to be a huge chair, which was clearly oversized for him, and that's when she realized it wasn't a regular chair.

It was Snoke's throne.

Or rather his throne now. It made sense that he'd not only taken Snoke's title, but belongings as well. She thought that seeing him in such a place of power would make him have a proud expression.

But instead, he seemed to be bored, and tired. His elbows were in his knees, and he was holding his head in his hands. She heard him giving a sigh, and he stood up, walking around the immense throne. He held his hands in his back, and stared down to the floor.

And suddenly, he said something that surprised Rey.

"Rey, I need you."

She felt as if her body had been paralyzed. She hadn't opened the Bond, had her?

" _Crap crap crap!"_ She cursed in her mind. She looked at him, and saw his eyes staring at nowhere else than her figure.

She gulped, thinking about what to do next. She still hadn't really researched anything that could help her to understand the Bond, and although Leia still hadn't asked her if she'd come to a conclusion, she still had to decide if she'd go with what they'd agreed between each other or with the General's proposal.

She breathed in, hoping to gain some courage, and spoke :

"You didn't find anything about the Bond, right?"

He remained motionless, staring at her.

" _Okay, this is getting weird."_

She stepped forward, expecting him to talk now, but he stood silent.

"So you're just going to ignore me now?" She asked, and then he begun walking towards her. She was about to tell him to stay where he was when unexpectedly he walked through her.

Her eyes widened, and she looked at her body, seeing that it was still transparent, indicating that Bond didn't indeed open. She sighed in relief, and turned to face him. She deduced that he was looking at the telescop thing present in the throne room, probably looking at the vastness of space.

She felt her body continuing to tire, a clear indication that she should stop her stalking.

"Maybe the Jedi Texts will help me to understand this thing." She said, ready to seize her meditation.

 _" Jedi huh?"_

The sudden voice scared her, shivering her entire body. She stepped back, looking around confused. She knew the voice wasn't _his,_ because this one was deeper and billowed, as if it was fainting slowly.

"What's this? Who are you!?" She asked, still turning her head to search for whoever was talking to her.

She heard a laugh, followed by the same voice :

 _" So much power stored in a young and unwise mind! The two of you are indeed the mirrors of the Ashla and the Bogan!"_

 _Ashla and Bogan? What was it talking about?_

"Stop playing this game! Show yourself!" She shouted, impatient.

Again, she heard the voice laugh, and suddenly, she heard the sound of something falling to the ground. She looked behind her to see _him_ with a confused expression. He looked around, still not able to see her.

And then the voice spoke again :

 _" You want to know who I am?"_

And out of nowhere, a lightning hit the ground before them. The two stumbled backwards, scared. _He_ raised his head, frowning.

"Rey?"

She froze, sweeting. _How did the Bond open?_

"Ben?" She said, looking intently at him.

 _" Come and find me!"_

Rey opened her eyes desperately, jumping away from her bed. She was panting heavily, and was feeling as if her body had fought Snoke's guards a hundred more times. She was exhausted.

She gazed around her room, only to find out she was alone. So that meant the Bond didn't open by accident like it had the previous times. Something, or better yet, someone had opened and closed it.

"Great, not only do I have no idea what this Bond is about, but now I have another Snoke toying with it!" She said, getting up from the floor. _What just happened?_

"Alright." She said to herself, taking in some air "Time to stop messing around."

She exited her room, reaching one of the _Falcon's_ drawers and staring at what it held.

The Sacred Jedi Texts.

She'd stolen them when Luke had expelled her from the island after seeing her touching hands with _him._ If he wasn't going to show her how to become a Jedi, then she'd do it by herself.

She carefully took them in her hands, and returned to her room, closing the door and sitting once again in her bed. Only then she realized there was a scorched spot in the middle of the bedroom, supposedly coming from the random lightning that voice had somehow conjured, even though she was sure it had hit the place where he was, not her room.

But she didn't have time to worry about this now. It was time to do some research.

She took one of the books, opening it's first page and reading the first verse :

 _"First comes the day_

 _Then comes the night._

 _After the darkness_

 _Shines through the light._

 _The difference, they say,_

 _Is only made right_

 _By the resolving of gray_

 _Through refined Jedi sight."_

Rey found the poem to be interesting, but it didn't help her to understand anything about Force Bonds. She could learn how to be a Jedi later. For now, she had one goal in mind.

To understand what Snoke had done to their minds, and to see if indeed he had done something. To comprehend the nature of the link they shared, and what they could do about it.

And if they could, somehow, close it.

Then again, this meere thought made her feel that strange feeling in her chest, one that somehow resembled sadness.

But this was right. She had to make a decision, for her friends. For the Resistance. And for that she'd need to study.

It would be a long night on Atollon, for sure.

 **And done! This was a hell of a chapter to write, but I'm glad with the end result.**

 **So, I just realized this was the first chapter that is actually set on a planet and not in a spaceship. After all, people need some real ground to step for an instance, right?**

 **So yeah, the new Resistance Base is set on Atollon. For those who don't know, Atollon was the location of the rebel base used by the Rebellion's Phoenix Squadron around 4 to 2 BBY. It's solar system is located in the Lothal Sector of the Outer Rim, but it's a relatively unknown and unpopulated planet, with no apparent sentient life present there.**

 **I don't know if _Nebulon_ _-K_ 's have prefabricated ground bases. I know the _Resurgent_ _-class_ Battlecruisers and the _Supremacy_ have, so I figured out that these frigates would at least have a smaller version of one. Since we saw that the rebel base was destroyed by Grand Admiral Thrawn's forces by the end of Rebels Season 3, I don't think the Resistance would be able to use the remains to built their base, but I'm sure they'd be able to salvage some stuff, like the sensor markers Finn and Poe found to repell the Krykna Spiders. Who knows what else is lost in there?**

 **Rey managing to use a weaker aspect of the Bond is something I've been thinking on doing since I started this story. Something like where she can feel and blurry see Kylo, but he can't see her. Now only time will tell if he can do the same to stalk Rey.**

 **And someone is toying with Rey right now. Who it is I'll leave up to you guys to find out, I'm not giving any hints.**

 **Remember to leave your reviews. They help me to see what I can improve or change in the story, and I love reading your opinions, no matter if they are good or bad, after all, any kind of critic is welcome. Speaking of reviews :**

 **SirLoozElite : Rey really has no idea what to think about the Bond. She's just lost and has no guide to lead her the way, so she has to take her path blindly. I can't say what Kylo's plans are yet, but I think you will be interested. The Resistance is starting to gain it's power back now, and their small fleet is indeed a good starting point. Their situation only gets better when you consider the First Order has no tactical genious holding the rank of Grand Admiral, right? (looks around suspiciously). True, R2 is really old now, but I think he's got some upgrades made to his interface and tools over the last 30 years, and hey, he's a really important asset for the Resistance, considering the amount of memory he has in his databanks. Good job guessing that Atollon would be the new base. Dantooine was off the list do to us seeing in chapters 5 and 6 that it already was under the First Order's control. As for Yavin 4 and Hoth, I agree that Kylo would be keepoing close eye to those worlds in particular, do to he knowing that the Resistance survivors would look for equipments and a place to settle just like they had on Crait. But because Atollon was an early rebel base used before the Rebel Alliance was officially created, I think he and Hux would let that planet slip. I won't say if you have gotten the chapters' names right or wrong, but I'm sure that you will love what is to come.**

 **If you want to leave suggestions, feel free to PM me as well.**

 **Thank you guys for reading, and may the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	13. Chapter 13 : Dealing with Power

**Hi people!**

 **So today we'll get a little bit of focus on how the First Order is doing, because I think we've spent enough time with the Resistance and also because you guys deserve some Kylo ;)**

 **So, without wasting any more time, let's get to the chapter shall we?**

 **(Leave your opinions in the reviews!)**

Chapter 13 : Dealing with Power

Three days.

Three days since the Bond had last opened. He shouldn't be surprised, after all it had taken two weeks for it to reappear after Crait, but for some reason he felt worried, mostly because when it did come back it bridged their minds four times in less than forty-eight hours, and then out of nowhere it became silent. Perhaps she'd found a way to close it and didn't tell him.

But that was unlikely. They'd promissed each other that if they discovered anything that could help them understand this curse Snoke had put over them they'd inform each other about it. _She_ wouldn't simply choose to close it without acknowledging him about it. He knew they were enemies, but this promise of theirs would benefit both sides, so no one would come out on top.

However, Kylo had no idea on what to tell her in their next "session" because, much to his disappointment, he didn't have the time to search for clues to how to close their connection, too busy making sure he'd fulfil another promisse he'd made to her :

Drawing the First Order's attention away from the Resistance.

And with First Order, he actually meant General Armitage Hux.

Most of the regime's high-ranking officers didn't care about hunting down the small band of rebels anymore, believing that chasing them down would be an unnecessary act for the time being, and that they should actually focus on their goals of galactic conquest, which weren't as easy as previously thought. After the destruction of Starkiller Base, Snoke had decided it was time to come out of the shadows and take the former New Republic controlled space, but the backlash against their invasion was being bigger than anticipated, something that Snoke should have planned for. After the defeat of the Empire and the sign of the Galactic Concordance, the New Republic had opted to deminish the size of their navy to a few capital ships, but allowed and even motivated the member worlds to keep or build their own star fleets, in case a crisis like an invasion arrose any day to threat their star systems. And that was proving to be a huge problem for the First Order, which many officials were agreeing to resolve.

However, Hux and his pet, Captain Opan, were proving to be a bigger issue. The General didn't want to take a break from his pursue of the Resistance, with the recent events over Dantooine feeding his lust for their destruction more and more. Furthermore, because he held a great position of power within the Order, it was difficult to change his mind or even prevent his irritable actions, and Kylo couldn't simply demote him for his persistence, even though he actually wanted to choke the life out of his skinny General, because it would raise many questions and even motivate a mutiny of some sorts, considering that the Resistance still was their number one enemy.

And Kylo understood why Hux acted like that. Being the son of a former imperial, it made sense that he didn't like insurgency movements, specially when the government his father served on had been overthrown by such movement. He knew Hux hated his father for what he'd made him endure during his childhood, but he shared many of his ideals. Ideals that were being a pain in Kylo's mind.

So here he was, struggling with an irritable General and without time to search for answers.

For _her_ to search for answers.

Once again, whenever _she_ came up to his thoughts he would sense this strange, yet warming feeling deep within his chest. It made the smal flickering of Light he tried to extinguish burst out uncontrollably, attempting to take over his will entirely, and it made him vulnerable, as well as angry. How could a scavenger, a no one, give him such a weird sensation? It couldn't be because of the Bond, could it?

 _Or was there something more?_

He snarled internally, trying to forget his temptation to the Light. He was devoted to the darkness, he'd felt it's influence ever since he was a small child. It flowed through his veins and soul like liquid water, and it gave him power. It didn't matter if his family was seen as heroes of the Galaxy, the Dark Side was where he belonged. This was his destiny, it had always been. A destiny that had been sealed the day Anakin Skywalker became someone more powerful, more wise and braver.

The day Darth Vader was born.

When Kylo found out that the fallen Sith had been non other than his grandfather, he'd felt betrayed by his mother for her not telling him, but also proud that the blood of such a strong being existed within himself. The Dark Side of the Force had always been present in his family, and it was a fate nobody should deny. His uncle had felt the Dark Side at it's peak, but he had been weak enough to reject it, and although his mother never admited it, he knew she held some darkness under her peaceful stature. And even Darth Vader himself ended up leaving the Dark because of temptation.

Kylo still held a great amount of respect toward the Dark Lord of the Sith, but he would never praise him anymore. Snoke's mockering of his position as a dark warrior was the final drop he needed to abandon his admiration of his grandfather. All of his family had failed to remain loyal to the Dark, but he wouldn't commit their mistakes. He'd be succesful at bringing the darkness to where it belonged, as dominant over the Light and the Galaxy. This was and would forever be his destiny, his final goal, and he wouldn't turn. Nothing could change his mind.

But then _she_ appeared, and the pull to the Light never seemed so strong with her presence. He hated _her_ presence. _No._ He hated he couldn't hate _her_. _She_ had been the reason why he'd been defeated in the Starkiller, demoralized by Snoke and _scarred_ for the rest of his life. But then again, without _her_ , he'd have never overthrown his master, taken the leadership of the First Order and gained the power he always craved for. Whenever she took something from him she'd give him something in return. _She_ was powerful, _she_ was special. _She_ was so much that he desired, and yet, _she_ didn't want to join him. It was a pride which was unreachable, and it pained him.

The chances of her getting cured from the Light's sickness were minimal, but not null. With enough persuation, she would be turned with no doubt.

This meere thought, however, made him feel disgusted. Not with her, but with himself. It was as if it was... wrong...

But he didn't have the time for that. He wondered if she'd gathered enough knowledge about Force Bonds, and even worse, what he'd say if the Bond opened soon. He needed to research the topic himself, and quickly. He couldn't come empty handed to _her._

He remembered what he knew about the connections created by the Force. As he'd explained her, Bonds were usually present between a master and an apprentice, and in rare cases, between family. He hadn't teached her anything, and they were not related at all. Furthermore, if one of the individuals within the Bond died, it would fade away immediately. But Snoke admited to have created the connection, and now he was in two pieces, and the Bond was still there.

He'd never heard or read about forging a bridge between two beings, so either Snoke held more knowledge than he could have ever dreamed of, or he was lying.

Lying. Of course. Now it all made sense. Snoke wasn't someone who would straight up reveal the truth, always thinking about himself beforehand.

Now things were starting to make sense. Maybe-

"Sir?"

His thoughts were drawn away by the officer's voice. Kylo turned, raising an eyebrow in confusion, but the officer took it as anger.

"Th-The throne room, s-sirr." He bumbled, a drop of sweet running down his forehead. Kylo widened his eyes.

"It is ready for you."

The turbolift's blastdoors opened, and Kylo stepped out, glaring at the vast chamber. His jaw dropped slightly as he examined the enviroment, remembering the last time he'd been there. The wide red curtains were no longer present, replaced by the dark view of space, but other than that the room looked identical to the days Snoke ruled. The floor was polished and black, reflecting every single light in the surroundings, with the scorches and burn marks no longer present. However, Kylo could still see the spots where he ran his lightsaber to strike at the Praetorian Guards. The oculus viewing scope stood by the room's left side, operated by some attendants. Kylo had told Hux and the First Order that _she_ had assassinated Snoke and his guards, and he didn't want any evidences of the truth. So after he had returned from Crait his first act as Supreme Leader was to murder the attendants that were operating the scope during the fight, saying that their deaths were do to their failure to predict Snoke's demise, when in fact it had been a cover up to his actions.

And in the middle of the large room stood the throne itself.

Kylo got closer, analysing every single detail of it. The throne was quite big, making him look like a child as he sitted on it. Snoke fitted that place with comfort, considering his tall stature, but even he, a Human considered to be tall, was small there. He gazed at the throne's arms, remembering when he'd killed his former master in that right spot. He grabbed the throne's left arm, invisioning the image of Snoke's hand laying in that exact spot. If one thing had came out great on that day, it had been how glorious he felt when he heard the lightsaber cutting through the robed fool's torso.

He took a deep breath, and remained quiet. So much power and control within his grasp, at last. Now that he leaned on the most influencial throne of the Galaxy, Kylo could begin to dream about the endless achievements he'd accomplish as the ultimate ruler. He'd done what Vader never did : surpassed his master and dominated an empire. It was a feat worthy of true recognition and should make him proud.

However, Kylo wasn't proud at all. Instead he was bored, and tired. Sure, the sleepless nights he'd been having didn't help, but the pressure of commanding countless legions across countless star systems, managing a government, dealing with a rabid General and the nightmares involving his family were certainly driving him insane. He held his head in his hands, leaning his elbows against his knees. He had so much going around in his thoughts that perhaps jumping out an airlock wouldn't be such a bad idea.

And yet again, _she_ was the reason he wouldn't do it. Why did he care so much about the enemy? It was true that she'd make for a fine apprentice, but he wasn't fully sure if he had enough knowledge to teach someone as powerful in the Force as her, and besides, he already had his Knights of Ren to worry about.

But the way he desired her to stand by his side wasn't as a disciple, but as an equal. Someone who he could consider as his mirror, and rule with the same might as the Supreme Leader.

So many things that they could accomplish together, but it was all an unreachable wish. _Darkness rises and Light to meet it._ Would she truly forever be the opposite side of the coin?

He raised from the throne, and walked around. Sighing, he finally let out :

"Rey, I need you."

With her, he felt as if he could achieve his full potential. The Force acted like a song when he talked to her, and it was a relaxing song.

He wanted to listen to such song again, but she was light years away from him, and obviously he didn't know when their minds would bridge again. So all he could do was watch where she had been. There was a small remnant of her presence in the throne room, a remnant so strong that it even seemed as if she was standing right besides him. He walked toward the oculus viewing scope, and almost immediately the attendants knew were to zoom it.

Before the Supreme Leader was the landscape of the planet Crait. The _Supremacy_ hadn't moved a centimeter after the Resistance cruiser damaged it, so it was stuck on the Crait system for this entire time, and with apparently nothing to do Kylo could just stare at the mountain formation where the Resistance Base had once been.

So much had happened there. His first act as Supreme Leader, his first failure as Supreme Leader. The battle, the rage, the endless fire barrage. The near destruction of the Resistance. He'd almost killed his mother, almost embraced his destiny. It had been the day when he thought he'd last see _her._ The day he had been humiliated before _her_ , the Resistance and the First Order.

 _"Because of Luke Skywalker."_

The anger boiled inside of him. His former master had made him a fool, printing an image that he fought so hard to never have. He wanted to be seen as invincible, but Skywalker undid everything.

It was all his fault. Fault of the Jedi. And because of that, the Jedi had to be extinct.

 _But she's the Last Jedi._

" _I will destroy her. I promissed I would. I can."_ He thought, remembering the dark words he'd spelled to his uncle.

 _Can you?_

 _"Can I?"_

Kylo clenched his jaw, furious towards his indecisive goal. And then, he heard the sound of something falling to the ground. He came out of thoughts, and got confused as he looked at the oculus viewing scope shattered on the floor. He was sure that, although angry, he hadn't used the Force on anything at that moment, so something was... odd to say the least.

Then he sensed something. He turned around, only to be met by a lightning bolt hitting the ground right before him, making him stumble backwards. He frowned, more confused than ever. What was happening?

He raised his head, and was shocked.

"Rey?"

She was there. Somehow, she was there. The Bond had never opened like that, so either she had done something strange or the Force was playing a tricky game with them.

"Ben?" She asked, sharing his surprise. Apparently it was the Force's game.

Or, as Kylo would soon find out, probably not.

" _Come and find me!_ _"_ A voice suddenly screamed, and, in the blink of an eye _, she_ was gone.

 **I believe I have a lot to talk about, don't I?**

 **If you don't want to be bored by an explanation for my absense, just skip the next paragraph and I'll tell you about what's coming next.**

 **For those who want to know, let's say I didn't plan this semester very well. After the whole thing with me being robbed in front of my home and stuff I thought I'd be more free to write for you. Obviously I didn't take into account that school is a simulation of hell. So tests, mocks, presentations, conferences, blablabla. I basically just earned my freedom in the last week. And because it's World Cup season and stuff, Brazil basically turns off around this time. If you want to know more just PM me. I won't be able to upload as regularly as I did by the beginning of the year, but I'll try my best. I'll be living in the US from August to January, so hopefully my english will improve with that. I'm thinking about releasing 4 chapters per month (1 each week) so it would still be on a certain regular basis.**

 **So, concerning the story. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but because I've disappeared for a long time I decided to upload it with what was already written so that it would have a strong tie to the last chapter (also because you needed something, I think. Uh... that sounded better when not written). The next two chapters will be centered around Kylo and the First Order, then we'll come back to Rey and the Resistance.**

 **Also, as apologies, I'm gonna give you some info about what's coming. Remember when I "told" you the title of certain chapters some time ago? So, here's the name of one of them, that will also be what I consider as the first 'arc' of this story :**

 **-The Battle of Mon Calamari**

 **The recent releases of the Darth Vader and main Star Wars comics have basically forced me to changed some of my ideas for this storyline (They killed King Lee Char, nooo) but the main structure of the plot is still the same. It will take a small while for us to reach this arc, so expect one of the other mistery chapters to come before the Battle of Mon Calamari.**

 **That's it from me. Again, I'm sorry for the long lack of uploads, I should have expected these setbacks, but then again, hel- school demands a lot.**

 **See you soon, and May the Force be with you. Always**


	14. Chapter 14 : Secrets

**Hey guys, what's up?**

 **Guess I'm a little earlier than expected huh?**

 **Today's another chapter focusing on Kylo and the First Order, hope you enjoy it!**

 **(Review!)**

Chapter 14 : Secrets

"Who's there!?" Kylo shouted as he rose from the floor, igniting his lightsaber and pointing the blade forward. He had no idea of what just happened in the throne room, and he doubted _she_ had any as well, considering the awed look _she_ had in her face. That voice, what could it be? It didn't sound as Snoke's, so it couldn't be a vision, and apparently _she_ had heard it too. Did the Bond create it's own consciousness?

No, the Force didn't have any sense of awareness. At least as far as Kylo knew. This must have been something else.

The brief moment of shock passed, and he extinguished the crimson blade, clipping the lightsaber to his belt. He turned to see the attendants picking up the shattered pieces of the oculus viewing scope from the ground as if they were made of gold. Their whole existence in the First Order was to, well, attend the device according to their master's will, so it made sense they were very careful but nervous while holding the pieces.

Kylo returned to the throne and settled on it to think. Something had got a hold on the Bond, and that wasn't good. Having Snoke control it was bad enough already, but after his death and the recent sessions the two of them had experienced, it seemed as if it was it's own thing, like a flaw in the Force, if that was even a thing. But now, this voice, this... Presence indicated something else.

If the Bond was under the control of another being besides Snoke, it couldn't be a good sign. Kylo had to act now. Research whatever he could to understand this torture which had been planted upon them. He had to do it for his own safety.

 _For her safety_.

Kylo chose not to think about her at the moment. He already had a lot going on in his mind, and he didn't want to get distracted, even though his subconscious made it very difficult to ignore the thoughts.

" _Stupid scavenger."_

 _Stupid and wonderf-_

He closed his eyes, trying his best to forget anything concerning _her_. He had to focus. Besides, if the Bond opened soon, he couldn't come empty handed.

He made his best to remember all of the teachings he'd ever had, both with Skywalker and Snoke, but mostly with the latter. If he had indeed forged the connection, then anything he'd learned under him could be a clue.

He meditated for some time, but couldn't find anything in his memories besides what he already knew from Skywalker, and Snoke's teachings mostly consisted on tapping into the Dark Side to gain strength and power, which was important, but gave no explanation at all to the situation he found himself at the moment. _Old bastard, always holding back knowledge._

Holding back. Of course. Kylo got reminded of how tricky Snoke was. He wanted to be the master forever, so clearly he wouldn't teach all he knew to Kylo. But did he hide this unknown knowledge somewhere or did it die alongside his two body halfs?

There had to be somewhere where Snoke kept the secrets he'd learned. Some hidden vault or bunker in the _Supremacy_ or another First Order ship. Maybe artifacts or even holocrons could be items belonging to his former master, and now that he was the Supreme Leader, his belongings would become his by right. But if there was a secret location, it had to be somewhere, and someone would have to know where it was. This made matters even more difficult. Ren couldn't simply walk around asking anyone if Snoke had some hidden room lying around in the First Order territories.

Or could he?

He looked up to the attendants, that were still gathering the shards of the scope's glass. He remembered that they had served Snoke since the foundation of the First Order, and possibly even before that, staying by his side all this time. They certainly knew something about the former Supreme Leader. And because he knew they didn't fully trust him as the new Leader yet, it could be dangerous to let them wonder around after witnessing the whole mess that had just transpired, specially after he'd cited _her_ name.

Kylo already had his excuse. He stood up, and summoned the attendants. Immediately they stopped grabbing the scattered pieces of the scope and moved before him, kneeling. He had no idea how to address to these beings, so he asked :

"Do you speak basic?"

One of them rose up, adjusting the weird mask-like apparatus in his face. These beings were taller than Kylo, but apparently skinnier. The long purple vestiments made it difficult to be sure. After a short roll of bepping noises, he answered :

"Yes."

 _"Of course you do. You have a translator."_ Kylo thought. He proceeded with his "search" :

"Good. What can you tell me about the previous Supreme Leader?"

The other attendant also stood up "Supreme Leader Snoke was the wisest being ever to live in recorded history. He was the hand this Galaxy needed to be shapped perfectly, and his passing is a true tragedy for the entire First Order."

Kylo had to stop the urge to roll his eyes. It was a bunch of Bantha poodoo. Getting to the point Kylo wanted to reach would require a very specific talking method, for sure.

"How was he so wise?" He asked, trying to sound curious and oblivious to the matter.

"He was born strong in the Force. He used the ways of the Dark Side to achieve power, and power he gained."

 _How the hell were they attendants?_

Kylo closed his fist, holding back the wish to toss them across the room with the Force.

"But he had to learn how to control that power somehow, isn't it true?"

The attendant took a little longer to reply this time "Yes. He was his own master, and found secrets in the Unknown Regions that helped him become stronger."

Finally something. Secrets in the Unknown Regions. But what secrets?

"How did he know of such secrets?" Kylo asked, leaning forward on the throne.

"He heard the call of the Dark Side, and found a great amount of hidden knowledge previously locked away from all. He wasn't the only one to hear it, but was the only one to claim it."

Things were starting to make sense now. Ren remembered looking through the archives of the Empire during his search for Skywalker and stumbling across reports made by Yupe Tashu, an old advisor to the Emperor, and Galllius Rax, one of the Emperor's most trusted officials, that said that Palpatine had sensed a dark presence in the Unknown Regions and that he intended to seek out the call he'd heard there, but couldn't do to the most disgusting event in galactic history : the betrayal of Lord Vader.

Had Palpatine discovered those secrets before Snoke, then the outcome of all galactic events would have been much different. But Snoke got there first, and by what Kylo knew about him, he probably toyed with Palpatine with the call of those secrets.

Snoke was truly a fool. He could have conquered the Galaxy right then and there, but he waited for too long, and the price came with his death.

Kylo continued to make questions, this time sure he was getting somewhere :

"But he must have had a place to guard this knowledge, correct?"

The attendants were starting to hesitate, but continued to respond :

"Most of the knowledge Snoke kept for himself, but there were indeed possessions that the Supreme Leader kept locked away."

A relief. So Kylo had been right all along : Snoke did keep things hidden from him. The last question he needed answered now was where.

"Where did he keep it locked away?" He asked.

One of the attendants stepped forward, saying :

"That information can only be revealed to the Supreme Leader."

 _Were they being serious?_

Kylo slowly raised from the throne, approaching the tall figures "I am your Supreme Leader, therefore such information belongs to me. Reveal it." He said, menacingly.

The attendant stood still, surprisingly "You are not the true Supreme Leader. Snoke is and always will be our true lord. These secrets belong to him, so they should die with him."

Ren had had enough of it. His arm rose cautiously, while he walked past the attendants.

"You know that I served as Snoke's apprentice, don't you?"

The attendants looked at each other "Yes. He taught you all he knew, as a master should."

Kylo turned to them, raising an eyebrow "Then why did he never teach or mention these secrets to me?"

The attendants remained silent, but Kylo was certain that behind their masks was a face of uncertainty and fear.

Kylo got closer, making the figures almost stumble backwards "I'm going to ask this one more time : Where did he keep this knowledge locked away?"

"Snoke never told us!" One of the attendants spoke out in desperation. Clearly a lie.

Kylo sighed, as if to pretend he was disappointed "Well, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but being honest I expected such answer."

Kylo pinched his fingers, and the attendants left the floor, hands in their throats as they tried to get a breath of air. He strengthened the choke, hearing cracking noises coming from their necks.

"Supreme Leader, please!" One of them said, clearly beginning to lose consciousness.

"Oh, so now I am the Supreme Leader? A shame that the secrets don't belong to me. But like you said : they should die with Snoke!"

He tightened the grip, ready to squeeze the life out of their bodies. Just as he was about to do so, one of the attendants reached out, screaming :

"We know! We know!"

Kylo released them from the Force Choke, letting the attendats cough in the ground until they regained their posture. Once they did, Kylo walked near them, and asked quietly but threatening :

"Where is it?"

The attendant handed him something. Ren opened the palm of his hand, and saw a key, which was strange, considering that shape of key wasn't used for milennia.

"Under this room lies a long corridor, and at the end rest the secret vault, in which our master kept it all." The figure quoted. Kylo ran his fingers through the key, analysing it. It appeared to be made out of gold, and resembled the ring Snoke used to wear in his left hand.

"I thank you for this. I shall make good use of the possessions in that vault." He said, walking past the figures and sitting on his throne, still holding the key.

"No, you won't." The attendants said in conjunction. Kylo looked at them, tired of their presence "You are not Snoke."

Kylo observed the figures' posture. Their arms were shaking, and they were trying to back away slowly. He viewed the broken oculus viewing scope, and then the key. He had all he needed : the knowledge, the reason and the excuse.

"You're so right." He said, and in the blink of an eye, he Force Pulled the attendants towards him, ignited his crossguard lightsaber, and decapitaded them. Their bodies fell limp to the polished floor, making Kylo feel renewed. Finally he was getting rid of all the control Snoke had over him. All of those still loyal to Snoke didn't have a place in the First Order. He was the Supreme Leader, so he would dictate how things should be, with no one to contradict him.

He'd gotten free of all the influence hoding him back. All except...

"What is this!?"

General Hux stood by the entrance of the throne room, the turbolift's blastdoors closing behind him. The redhaired man stared around as he processed what he was seeing : The oculus viewing scope broken and slammed on the ground, a huge scorching mark near it, and at the center of the room Kylo Ren sitting on the throne with his red blade cracking, with the headless bodies of the misterious attendants lying on his feet. Hux's face at this moment was a misture of scare, disgust, disbelief and fear. Even so, he had the guts to move his legs and get closer to his new ruler. He stopped six feet in front of Kylo, asking :

"Why did you do this?"

Kylo was expecting that someone would see this mess, so he already had in mind what to answer :

"The attendants overloaded the scope's reach and almost blew it off, threatening my life."

Hux looked at the room again, seeing if the story made sense. He turned to face Ren again, cursing in his mind why the attendants didn't make the overload stronger.

"Re... Supreme Leader, you can't just kill everyone under your command for failure! First Kaplan, now the attendants. Where will this stop?" The General said, trying to avoid looking at the fallen bodies.

"Failure is something that can't be tolerated, General. Examples must be made in order to guarantee success. Snoke was too soft in his punishments." Kylo replied, deactivating the saber.

"Too soft!?" Hux argued, remembering his face getting slammed by the former Supreme Leader when he'd failed to destroy the Resistance fleet on D'Qar. That had been anything but soft.

"Yes." Kylo lifted from his throne, staying next to Hux "Besides, how do you think Lord Vader became the most praised military commander on the Empire?"

Hux froze in place, knowing what Ren was talking about. He'd seen reports from the imperial era describing how the Emperor's enforcer dealt with officers within his fleet, but the loyalty people had for him didn't come with respect. It came with fear, and it frightened Hux that Kylo was implementing the same ideal as his grandfather.

"Supreme Leader, what I am saying is that results do come. Failure happens, and you should-"

"Should what?" Kylo interrupted Hux, getting closer to him, making the General feel smaller "Tolerate it? We are at war, General. Failure only leads to setbacks, that leads to loss. We can't afford to lose now."

Kylo moved back to his throne, believing he'd taught Hux a good lesson.

"If that's true, then why are you keeping my forces from tracking down and destroying the Resistance?" Hux asked, and immediately Kylo's eyes widened. Hux had gotten him "They are our number one enemy, and letting them go can be considered as the biggest of failures. Therefore, why do you accept it?"

Kylo attempted to remain calm, but Hux had a point. In the last three days he'd done his best to deviate the General's attention from pursuing the Resistance, so that _she_ could have the time to search for answers. He came as far as demanding that the _Finalizer_ stay in the Crait system to defend the crippled _Supremacy_ from any attacks, even though the _Mega-class_ Star Destroyer could do so even with one of the 'wings' detached, considering it's sheer size. And truth to be told, he hadn't considered that the Resistance would take the time without assaults to rebuild it's strenght.

Now Kylo was feeling like an idiot. He really didn't think of it. Sure, the Resistance wouldn't be capable to regain it's former glory, but nevertheless, they could become once again a serious threat.

And even worse, he could be being used. It was possible that _she_ would keep delaying the search for answers for the Bond in order to buy time for the Resistance, and once Kylo realized it, it would be too late.

Hux's point made him very worried. If that was true, and he kept preventing the General from attacking, and _she_ kept him waiting for answers, it would all combine into his downfall.

But something inside of him told him that wasn't he case. That _she_ wouldn't take advantage of the situation. That _she_ would be loyal to their agreement, and that for some reason, he'd be as well. He felt as if he couldn't lie to _her_ , and the same was true for _her._ Their promisse had to be kept.

Kylo decided to trust this feeling, and prepared to answer the General :

"Yes, they are our number one enemy, but they are weak."

"Precisely why now is the time to strike!" Hux said, trying to rise his voice. Kylo looked intently at him, making the General's posture shrink a little bit.

"Because they are weak, they also are in smaller numbers, which means that it will be harder to find them. The encounter on Dantooine was a just luck on Kaplan's side, and we know they still are in just one freighter. They could be in any of the thousand systems around us, and focusing on their search would be a waste of time and resources. Furthermore, we're still struggling with the takeover of the Galaxy, so that's where our forces should focus on." Kylo said, hoping that Hux didn't make any more questions.

Unfortunately, he did :

"Right, but they are the flickering of hope. Letting them go could cost us a lot. If we can't catch them now, when will we?"

Kylo grabbed the arm of the throne, getting impatient "The Resistance won't remain quiet forever. They will strike soon enough, and once they do, we'll track them and destroy them all in one swift stroke." _But could you do that?_

Hux nodded slightly, understanding Kylo's point. He was preparing to leave the throne room when he remembered something.

"You know, my liege, we may destroy the Resistance, but their influence will live on. Where do you think the rebelling systems are getting their inspiration from?" Kylo pressed his eyebrows, noting that Hux was challenging him.

He adjusted his seat, waiting for the General to continue. This was the moment Hux had been waiting for :

To unstable Ren.

"No doubt from the message the Resistance spread out after Crait that the Jedi Skyw-" Hux didn't have the time to finish his sentence because the moment he tried to, his throat was already in Kylo's grasp, the Supreme Leader standing up with a furious expression.

Kylo didn't say anything, enjoying the look of the General as he desperately moved his arms and body in an attempt to escape his crushing hand. _How dare he even think of that shameful occurrence in his presence?_

Skywalker was gone. He couldn't ruin his image as ruler of the Galaxy anymore, and therefore, he should be forgotten.

"What were you saying, _General_?" He asked, clenching his teeth in anger. He could end it all here and now, and no longer have to worry about the General's undisciplined actions.

However, he still had his uses for Hux.

He released the man, watching as he regained his breath. Hux was still kneeling on the ground as he 'apologized' :

"It wasn't meant to disturb you, Supreme Leader *cough*. Please, forgive me." But deep down in his mind, the General was glad with the Supreme Leader's reaction.

Kylo returned to the throne once again, pulling the key the attendants had given him up his sleeve "I hope so, General Hux. Now return to your post immediately."

Hux stood up, adjusting his uniform's collar and preparing to leave. But then he noticed the object in Ren's hand.

"My liege, if I may, but what is this?" He asked, fearful that he'd be choked again.

Surprisingly, he wasn't. Kylo showed off the key, and said :

"What do you think? Things that Snoke didn't tell us. Now go."

Hux thought about questioning more, but decided not to. That had been enough for today. He bowed before Ren and left the throne room, entering the turbolift and heading towards the bridge. Ever since Kylo became the Supreme Leader Hux had been studying his every moves, getting to understand Ren's reaction to many situations. It was only a matter of time until he could fully comprehend the nature of Kylo Ren.

Once the General was no longer present, Kylo wondered around the throne room looking for any entrance to the secret corridor underneath him. After a short while, he noticed some strange structures in the basis of the viewing scope, the only part of the device that hadn't been shattered on the ground. It resembled a lever of some sort. He pushed it, and suddenly a set of stairs lowered at the edge of the room, indicating a path. Kylo grinned, and walked.

He reached the said corridor. It was dark, with no apparent light to show the way. Kylo ignited his lightsaber, hoping it would compensate for the lack of luminosity.

And then he saw it. A rusted but large metal door, with a lock at it's side. Ren picked up the golden key, immediately realizing it matched the lock.

This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for years now. He'd finally uncover the secrets his masters tried to keep away from him, and with that, become more powerful than ever. He entered the key on the lock, twisted it, and the door opened.

He could already imagine the wonders he'd learn from this place, and hopefully, he'd find something to help him understand the Bond. He had to do it to ensure he could become a more proactive Supreme Leader. So that he could stop having the visions and the nightmares. So that he could forget _her._

But a part of him didn't want to. A part of him wished to continue to know _her_ through the Bond. To understand her point of view, her way of life, her own being.

He shook these thoughts out of his mind " _No, I made a promisse. I'm going to end this once and for all"._

 _We are going to end this. Together_

"Dammit Ben, FORGET IT!" He screamed, realizing a second later what he'd just said.

 _Ben._ His old name.

 _His real name._

" _Stop it!"_ He said mentally. He was Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren, Supreme Leader of the Galaxy. Ben Solo was a lost child who had died years ago.

Kylo breathed, trying to calm himself. This would all come to an end once he entered that vault.

He pushed the door, confident of what he was doing.

"Let's do this, _Rey_."

 **A hell of a chapter to write, oh God. Because I've been gone for a while all that I had written saved on the documents was erased (the 90 day stuff, you know), so all I had left were a few notes and drafts from the chapters, so I had to start from there. But I changed a lot of things from the original chapter that I think were for the best, for example the inclusion of a bigger role for the attendants.**

 **This time I wanted to give a first impression of how Kylo will rule his regime and his relationship with Hux, as well as explore how he's thinking on dealing with the Force Bond and how he will maintain control over his men. I also gave a little bit of insight on Hux, so expect a bit more of that further down the line ;)**

 **And now, because I haven't done so for ages, let's answer the reviews (in this case just one, but it does put a smile on my face)**

 **SirLoozElite : So good to see you here, my friend. I know life gets on the way all the time, but I still feel guilty for making you wait for so long, so I'm really sorry for that (btw I'm catching up on your recent uploads. I still haven't finished Agent of the Chancellor, but I'm loving it. Expect a review soon.) Kylo is indeed unbalanced. He thinks he's complete darkness, when in fact he's been torn apart. As for Hux, I hope this chapter gave you some good clues about his motivations. He's basically discount Tarkin but with bad luck! xD**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next one we're still going to focus in the First Order side of things, then we're moving back with Rey and the Resistance. I wonder what they've been up to...**

 **Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the review section, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	15. Chapter 15 : Frustration

**Hey, I'm back!**

 **This is the last chapter focusing on Kylo and Hux for the time being. Soon we'll be back with Rey and the Resistance, alongside another 'session'.**

 **Enjoy! (Leave your thoughts and opinions!)**

Chapter 15 : Frustration

"Let's do this, _Rey_."

He moved the door to the side, immediately feeling a cold wave hit him, one which was reminiscent to when he first experienced the Dark Side under the tutelage of Snoke. This was definitely the place.

The room was pitchy, even more so than the corridor, and even Ren's lightsaber couldn't lighten his surroundings well enough. He could make a few objects out of the shadows, but he wasn't able to say what they were or even to distinguish them.

He then stumbled on what appeared to be some kind of pedestal, with a wide bowl on top of it. Kylo put his hand into the bowl, running his fingers to feel what it had. He moved his blade closer to be able to see more properly.

And with that, he got surprised.

" _Gunpowder?_ "

He let the small amount he had in his hand fall back into the bowl. This was strange. Gunpowder was practically non-existant in these days, being deemed as outmoded and impractical ever since the creation of high energy gases as ammunition for blasters, which dated centuries.

There had to be a reason for this kind of substance to be here, as it wouldn't be by chance. Gunpowder was usually highly flamable, so even a small spark could light it up. Kylo looked at his side, and saw what seemed to be a trail of some sorts connecting to the bowl.

 _Maybe a rudimentary lighting mechanism?_

Kylo slowly moved his blade into the gunpowder, careful not to melt the bowl that held it all. Once the unstable plasma made contact with the substance the flames arose, and Ren quickly took his arm out of the burning fire. He observed as the trail began to light up, illuminating the entire room and finally making everything inside visible for the Supreme Leader.

The vault was bigger than Kylo initially guessed, but it wasn't that large. There were statues placed next to the walls, and a few objects placed here and there. And with that, Kylo came to a conclusion :

"That's it?"

He deactivated his saber, and started to wonder around, disappointed. He expect a room filled to the roof with countless artifacts and possessions, but this looked like a secret vault raided by spacers. Most of it was empty.

" _Damn you, Snoke!"_ He cursed mentally. Of course Snoke wouldn't keep it all lying around after he got all he needed from his belongings. Surely he'd destroyed whatever he deemed of non use anymore, Kylo deduced as he noticed several small debris and scraps scattered across the floor. He even picked up a shard of what seemed to have once been a part of a holocron, but of which type it was unrecognizable.

He had no time to cuss his former master though. He needed to learn what he could, and immediately. He approached the statues, analyzing them one by one. They appeared to be bathed in bronzium, but other than that, they seemed to have nothing special to them.

So he decided to gather all the remaining artifacts into the center of the room. All there was were two ancient holo transmitters, a box with jewellery, stone-encrypted texts and parts of what appeared to be some kind of ancient battle armor.

"There must be something in here that can be of use." He said, sitting on the dusted floor.

He breathed in, and started his research.

* * *

General Hux walked to the hangar bay, ready to take his shuttle and return to the _Finalizer._ Though he had gotten the reaction he wanted from Ren, he still needed time. If his predictions came true, and Kylo Ren turned out to be a horrible Supreme Leader, he'd have more than enough evidence to prove it and with that, take the title for himslef.

But he'd give Ren a chance. He was planning out his course of action, and although he despised the Jedi Killer for a great many things, specially his stubbornness for destroying the Resistance scum, he had to give him some credit. The takeover of the Galaxy was proceeding even better than planned thanks to his tactics, and Hux himself now had a 'calmer' schedule, which allowed him to think more properly about his next steps.

But that didn't mean he wasn't stressed at all. Every encounter with his Leader he'd sweat under his uniform, begging not to be struck by that Force thing ability both Ren and Snoke possessed.

He entered the ship, and got to his seat. The pilot's cabin opened, and Captain Opan stepped out, heading next to Hux.

"How did it go?" The Captain asked, taking off his hat.

"Nothing thunderous. The idiot denied the request to find the Resistance, got an anger attack and choked me. Again." Hux replied, still feeling his neck uncomfortable.

"He must have gotten that from his master. Remember D'Qar?"

Hux looked incensed at the Captain, who immediately took his posture :

"Apologies, General. It is very strange that the Supreme Leader keeps denying the hunt for the rebels."

Hux smirked "He continues to say that the conquest of the Galaxy is the priority. Clearly he doesn't understand that as long as Leia Organa and her loyal followers live, the systems will fight back."

"That might be why he won't allow their pursue." Opan said, gaining a raised eyebrow from Hux "After all, she is his mother."

Hux thought for a moment, and after some consideration, he denied the Captain's theory :

"I disagree. I've received a report from Leader Snoke before his passing about the demise of Han Solo on Starkiller Base. And who was the smuggler's killer?"

Opan nodded to Hux, telling him to say it.

"Kylo Ren himself. If he killed his father he'll certainly attempt to kill his mother. And if Organa is our enemy, then why would Ren have joined us all those years ago?" Hux already had a high position in the First Order when the unknown warrior joined the regime, with Snoke claiming he was is new apprentice. But even with that, he didn't understand how someone could come out of nowhere and stay in such a place of power all of a sudden. All he knew was what Snoke had told him : He had betrayed his mother, Leia Organa Solo, and would become a powerful allie.

Hux had hoped it meant that he'd get along with the Jedi Killer. However, his hopes were in vain.

"So, what do you intend to do about the whole 'no attacking the Resistance' orders?" Opan asked, knowing full well that because the General was currently the second most powerful man in the regime, he still had a great amount of control and assets at his disposal, even though the Supreme Leader restricted him from using all of them.

Hux changed his gloves, and took his coat "For the time being I will use my patience and wait for him to commit a grave mistake. Let him realize his duties and the First Order his ineffectiveness. If all go as planned, I shall have all the cards in my hands."

The shuttle landed at the _Finalizer's_ lower deck, and Hux left it with Opan right behind him.

"However Captain, I still have needs for you."

Opan stopped walking, standing in formation before Hux "How may I serve you, General?"

"One of our radar satellites in the Unknown Regions has disappeared from our scopes, indicating that it went offline. I need you to take a repair crew and reactivate it. I know it seems to be an operation under your merits, but trust me, we will need those satellites sooner or later."

"As you wish, General Hux." Opan bowed and left to call for a crew.

Hux walked to the bridge of his flagship. From there he watched as the _Supremacy_ continued with it's repairs, the severed 'wing' almost connected to the _Mega-class_ Destroyer's main frame, and many supply ships delivering assets to the reconstruction sites. He then viewed at where the throne room was located in the immense ship. He grinned, and murmured :

"Don't let me down, Ren."

* * *

Kylo put the hands over his hair, maintaining his calmness the best he could not to rip the strands away. All this knowledge for absolutely nothing. The battle armor served as nothing but decoration, for sure; The jewellery were fancy and magnific, but held no importance whatsoever for his quest; The stone-encrypted texts were of an ancient language, probably a predecessor or variant to basic, and Kylo could only figure out a few words here and there. A protocol droid wouldn't be so bad right now.

He discovered that the texts referred to the statues in the room. They represented the Four Sages of Dwartii. Kylo had heard of them as contentious philosophers from the early decades of the Galactic Republic when he studied politics as a child. Even though he couldn't comprehend the entirety of the texts, he knew they had nothing to do with the Force, and because of that, were useless for the time being.

Besides, forgeting anything that made him remember his time with his mother would be helpful.

And last, the holo transmitters. He'd looked through whatever they held, but most of their files were corrupted do to time and bad maintenace. The few data banks still intact were mostly about meditation and focus for combat, things that Ren had already learned from Snoke. However, giving a rewatch at them later wouldn't be a bad thing.

Kylo put all to the floor, frustrated. Not only could he find nothing, but he had nothing at his disposal. He didn't know where to look at, and he was apprehensive over what that meant.

He'd come empty handed to _her_. _And disappoint her._

 _"No, I can't afford that. Not when I just started searching."_

It was a promisse they'd made, so at least something he'd have to know. No doubt _she_ had already reviewed over the lessons Skywalker had taught _her._ No doubt that, in hopes of keeping the Jedi Order alive, he had given _her_ , trained _her_ and instructed _her_ all the wisdom the Jedi Knights had gathered in over a thousand years.

Of course his old master wouldn't have taught him everything. He wasn't either despaired or in exile when he himself was a Padawan, so there was no need for hurry. But this girl pops in, stays a week with him and receives everything he'd have to endure years just to learn about.

 _"Damn her. Damn her power, damn her luck, damn her EVERYTHING!"_

Kylo raised, throwing the artifacts around with the Force. He began panting with fury, and kneeled.

 _Damn her wonderfulness._

Then he heard something. The flickering of a hologram, it seemed. He turned around to find one of the holo transmitters broadcasting a message. By the audio, however, it didn't seem to be any of the previous recordings.

No. This was something else...

He picked up the device, immediately recognizing the figure in the hologram.

Snoke.

He recalibrated the recording, making it come back to the beginning so he could see and hear everything.

"And so I have found it. After years of lurking in the shadows, I have found it." The image of the previous Supreme Leader stated. Kylo sitted down, paying full attention to the hologram. If Snoke had recorded something, it meant he'd possibly even quoted something that could help him.

 _"_ The Dwartii led me here. Their incriptions and enigmas were the key to finding this. It took me a while to gather all the necessary pieces, but after the fall of Sidious, I managed to aquire the statues in his palace, bringing in all I needed to uncover the secret."

Kylo glanced at the statues, pressing his lips. So they were more important than he realized.

He continued to listen to the message, hoping it would reveal what he sought.

"The glyphs indicated a location in the Unknown Regions. Coincidently, I had been hearing a call from there for a long time. The call was the compass, but the Dwartii signaled the X in the map. And now, I have all I need in front of me."

The figure of Snoke lifted his hand, showing off a collection of hundreds of artifacts. Kylo's jaw dropped as he gazed at the countless storages of Dark Side information that laid before the disformed creature. Where could all of that be?

"I have been able to learn more than I could have possibly imagine. And the Jedi fools think they know anything. I have seen the truth! The Dark Side is the true nature of the Force! It is superior in every aspect, and has no limitations like the Light."

Well, at least something Kylo could agree on.

 _Then how was she able to defeat you in the forest?_

He closed his eyes, trying his best to keep _her_ at the back of his mind. He returned his focus to Snoke's speech.

"The true reach of the Force, it's effect over elements and living beings. I have even learned how to influence it's aspects!"

His eyes widened.

 _"Influence it's aspects?"_ He thought. So this is how he learned to create the Bond? How did he even have the time to achieve such immense power?

"And there is so much more. But now, I fear as if these secrets have had their uses. They are fascinating, and will only continue to be so if being undiscovered. I have seized all I desired with them : The remainer of Sidious' Empire, the full power of the darkness and the Solo boy."

Kylo felt the anger boil inside of him. This was how he became a servant to the robed bastard?

He started to tighten his grip over the holodisc.

"Soon, the Galaxy will be mine. I shall fullfil my destiny, and I shall not allow anyone to stop me." Snoke turned around, shouting "Burn it down!"

Kylo watched incredulously as the artifacts begun catching fire, the maleficent grin of Snoke emerging just like the anger in Kylo's head.

He'd destroyed it. All the evidence, the knowledge, the help it would provide him. Snoke got rid of it all.

"I will keep a few of the found artifacts intact for personal preference. But those who seek my knowledge shall never have it. I am unbeatable. No o-"

Ren crushed the transmitter in his hands, tossing it aside and yelling "UNBEATABLE? I CUT YOU IN HALF, YOU WRETCH! I AM WHAT YOU WILL NEVER BE! I... I-I AM T-the..."

He dropped to the floor, feeling the tears run down his face.

Snoke had taken everything from him. His family, his life, his destiny. And now, his _hope_.

It was as if his expectations had been thrown into oblivion. Always he thought the Dark Side had chosen him, that it was his legacy. But now he knew the truth. It was Snoke all along.

And it was Snoke who had ultimately won. There was no apparent answer to the Bond. He'd be made like a fool in front of _her_ , a lost man with no advice to give, with no path to follow, and no fate to believe in.

 _Was there even a reason to choose a side of the Force now?_

Standing on his knees, he said :

"I'm sorry, Rey..."

* * *

"Sir, the repair crew has fixed the satellite."

"Good. Call them back to the ship and return to the fleet" Captain Tritt Opan ordered, waving his hand to dismiss the officer. When Hux had said this was a duty below his merits, he wasn't wrong, considering that instead of commanding a battle or invasion on a cruiser he was observing a maintenace crew from a small shuttle in the middle of nowhere.

But he would obey Hux's orders. If this would aid his plan, then he'd do it without question. The General had a bigger vision in mind, and Opan was more than pleased to help solidify such vision.

The satellite activated, beginning to transmit as it did before being damaged. A piece of it was missing once they arrived, and it was deduced a passing meteorite did it.

The shuttle flew away, charging it's hyperdrive and jumping far from the sector.

And as it did, the cloaking device of the ship deactivated as it approached the now functional satellite. He observed from the cockpit, knowing that if he deactivated it again, they'd become suspicious and send a bigger task force. One that could endanger everyone.

He jumped to hyperspace, immediately turning on his comlink.

"It's me. I have an urgent report to make ."

 **And here it ends three part First Order chapters. Next time we will be back, as stated before, with the Resistance. Yay!**

 **Now before I talk about the chapter itself, allow me to adress more important things :**

 **THE CLONE WARS IS BACK!**

 **I can't even believe it. It's like a dream come true. I remember being completely sad when the show was canceled, but now my happiness is going up to the heights!**

 **Though it's only 12 episodes. Give us Seasons 7 and 8 with 24 episodes each!**

 **Okay, I'm done. Back to the chapter.**

 **I've been planning from the beginning the idea that Snoke held knowledge back from Kylo, and he'd certainly do his best to prevent anyone of becoming as powerful as he was. The frustration of Kylo will be further explored down the line.**

 **And Hux isn't as loyal as it seems, huh? I read in Wookiepedia that Opan has allegiances only to Hux, carrying out assassinations and operations for the General. Let's see what this will culminate in for the two of them.**

 **And someone's watching the First Order. I wonder who could it be? The Resistance maybe?**

 **Now, to answer the reviews :**

 **SirLoozElite : Yeah teamkilling isn't the best option for a new ruler. Specially when you're dealing with an intergalactic war and a girl bridged mentally to you. and yes, it is kind of to assure himself that he is a being of the dark, however as you might see in this chapter, he may begin to doubt it. As for Snoke's secrets, what secrets?**

 **Review if you want to. It helps me to develop new chapters and to know if you are liking or not the story as a whole!**

 **Thank you for reading, and remember...**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	16. Chapter 16 : Conversations

**Good morning/afternoon/night everyone!**

 **At last we leave the bad guys and start diving into interesting stuff. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16 : Conversations

"3PO, what about this? Can you translate it?"

The golden protocol droid laid the book on the table and picked the one Rey was asking him to give a look. The sun hadn't risen yet, but in standard time it had been about 2 days since Rey decided to study the Ancient Texts in search for answers.

At the start she could figure a few passages here and there, and some paragraphs were even written in basic. However, the more she deepened herself into the countless words, the less she understood. So she decided to call C-3PO to help her with the strange phrases infused within the old pages, considering that, according to the droid himself, he spoke over six million forms of language fluently.

And after a few hours, she realized the Texts were so ancient that even the protocol droid couldn't quite comprehend everything.

Even then, without his help, she wouldn't have known about half of the knowledge she'd learned in those two days.

Unfortunately, nothing they read had anything related to Force Bonds. But she wouldn't give up. They still had much to read, and the Bond put too much at stake. She had to find something for the Resistance, for Leia, for her.

For _him_.

"These words resemble Frozian in some aspects, Miss Rey, but there are a few clauses which I can't translate with certainty. There may be some mispronunciation." C-3PO informed.

"It's okay, just try your best." She said, moving the pile of books to the side so that 3PO could show her the meaning of the passage.

"It proceeds as the following :

 _We are all Jedi._

 _The Force speaks through us._

 _Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real._

 _Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed._ "

Rey got curious "This looks like someone giving a speech."

"And indeed it is, Miss Rey." 3PO confirmed "It says here it is part of ritual called 'The Night Ceremony'"

"Night Ceremony? Weird name. How does it end?" She asked.

3PO took the book again, finishing the excerpt :

" _By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub the Jedi, Knight of the Republic._ "

"Isn't it 'Knighting Ceremony' then? Makes more sense." Rey said, making the droid look at the passage again.

"Uh, oh my, you are correct, Miss Rey. I am sorry, my systems are not accustomed to these formats. I should probably upgrade my program."

"No worry, 3PO. Besides, I doubt any upgrade shall have the translation for all the pages from the Texts." Rey said, and yawned. She had barely slept during these two days, spending almost the entire time looking through the Sacred books.

Perhaps some rest would be welcome.

"I think that's all for today, 3PO. Thanks for helping me." She said, taking the Aionomica from the droid's hands and putting the Texts away in the drawer under her bed.

"You are welcome. Now, where could R2 be?" And with that C-3PO left the room, exiting the _Falcon_ to find his astromech friend. In all of her lifetime Rey never imagined that two droids could have such a strong friendship.

Rey layer on her bed. Her room was currently a huge mess, but she was too exhausted to clean it up. She could do it once she woke up.

But in spite of her tiredness, she couldn't close her eyes. The Jedi Texts did reveal some very interesting Force techniques that she could train later down the line, but there wasn't even a single word that detailed Bonds. And her mind kept dwelling on countless worries because of that.

She couldn't come empty handed, specially when she had no idea at all when the connection would appear. It's randomness made her apprehensive and concerned of what would happen when she saw _him_.

Knowing _his_ unstable nature, he would certainly be disappointed once _he_ discovered she'd found nothing, then become angry, and break their promise, putting the Resistance at great danger again. There was no shadow of a doubt he had learnt many secrets about the Force in this meantime, considering his already present wisdom about the Force, the amount of power and resources in his grasp and possibly even teachings of Snoke.

And there was still the answer she had to give Leia. To either close the Bondor maintain it. She knew she could any answer to the General, and she would accept it, but it wouldn't take away the fact it would let her down. The Bond was a huge opportunity to learn more about the First Order's actions, and predict their moves in order to benefit the Resistance.

But keeping the bridge open would let _him_ down as well, and she knew _he_ wouldn't accept any answer, which made matters worse.

What promise should she abide to?

 _"C'mon, I just want to sleep now."_ She forcefully shut her eyes, trying to fade into unconsciousness and finally rest. Because of Atollon's slower rotations, she hadn't realized she'd stayed up for two straight days, and her body was tired to the point where she thought she'd ran the entire line of the planet.

Soon she started to forget the divisive choices and managed to rest, and for a while, she didn't dream, think or even see nothing. She just was.

And then her mind felt a small stream flowing through it, and she welcomed it. It wasn't neither dark nor light, it just was there, circling around her head and allowing her to recover silently. In her subconscious she knew what it was :

The Force.

The stream concentrated itself in a small bubble, creating an image, starting a dream on Rey's mind. She suddenly found herself in a light full room that had no walls, no roof and no floor, and still, she did walk around, fascinated. She had never seen such a beautiful brightness in her life, and this place, if she could even call it one, felt pure, felt right.

 _" Pleasant, isn't it?"_

Rey got hold of her awareness, recognizing the voice from five days ago. When it had abruptly opened the connection.

She maintained her calm, trying her best not to wake up. Though worried about the voice, she didn't want to leave this relaxing state of self.

"Yes, it is." She replied. She heard a light laugh, followed by another question.

 _" You seem more controlled since the last time we have talked. What makes you so?"_

At first she hesitated to respond, not knowing what she going up to, but then she got confident, aware that perhaps she could use a little help from this presence.

"I figured that if I go desperate trying to comprehend indecisively who you are will lead me to nothing. Besides, I want to rest, and losing my mind at the moment would prevent me from doing so."

 _" I know. It's why you are having this dream with me, or rather conversation, if you will."_

Rey got surprised "So you are creating this dream?"

Another mumbled chuckle came from the voice _" Yes. The Force has many abilities that can be used in many different ways. It is up to the wielder to the decide what he will do with such abilities."_

"Okay, but why are you doing this?"

 _" I have already told you : to have a conversation."_

 _"_ But why with me?" Rey asked. In all of her lifetime no one had ever reached out for her without describing their intentions first. This voice was most likely playing a game with her, so she had to be careful with what she would say.

 _"_ Your presence is like a ripple in the Force, little one, just like his."

She knew who he was referring to with _his_. After all, this voice had somehow opened the Bond with ease, surprising both he and she. Whoever she was talking must be a very powerful being to do so, maybe along the lines of Master Luke and Snoke.

The only question now was what expectrum of the Force this entity sided with

 _" I have no side in the Force." _With that answer the presence caught Rey off guard. That was impossible. In order for one to use the Force, one had to be in the Light or the Dark Side, right?

And besides, was it reading her thoughts?

 _" You are very perceptive. Yes, in your restful stage I am able to see your mind very clearly."_

"Stop reading my thoughts, please?" Although the way the entity was doing so wasn't harmful at all, it reminded her of the times both _he_ and Snoke had done so, and very painfully. Forgetting those occasions proved to be very good for her.

 _" I can't. Your imagination fluctuates with such intensity that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able not to hear your head"_

Rey immediately knew it was because of her strong connection to the Force "I understand. It's just that I have this immense strength residing inside me, and yet I don't know how to control or to keep it at bay. I have learned so little, and I still need guidance."

" _What you need is a teacher, little one. " _The voice said, making Rey sigh

"I know, but there is no one in the Galaxy capable of helping me."

There was silence for a moment, and Rey believed the voice had left her, making her alone in the bright space.

And then, it surprisingly replied:

 _" I can help you."_

She got concerned, but deep down she felt enlightened. Finally someone was offering her help. But still, she was concerned.

"But I don't know you. I don't even know if you are just a voice in my head."

 _"_ After all I have done you still think I'm just a product of your imagination?"

Rey thought for a moment, remembering when somehow the Bond had opened when the voice first spoke, and it deemed to have created the dreamed she was experiencing at the moment. In the end, all this craziness might be something.

Or rather someone.

"I just don't quite understand what is going on at all. So much has happened in the last weeks that I think I might be going insane. My life has literally turned upside down, and I have no idea how to handle it now. Would you really help me? Would you be my teacher?"

 _" Not a teacher. Think of me as more of a guide."_

"A guide? A guide to what exactly?" She asked, curious.

 _" To the Force, little one! Isn't it what you are questioning the most?"_

Rey stood still, acknowledging with some hesitancy, but also trust.

 _" Then it is decided. You must come and find me."_

"Find you? But I don't even know who you are, or where you are!"

The voice chuckled one last time before speaking again :

 _" There is only one way where you can know this."_

"And what would that be?"

The voice waited for a moment, and then replied :

 _" Finding me!"_

Rey opened her eyes, feeling surprisingly recovered. She looked at the holopad in her drawer to check the time, realizing that only fifteen minutes had passed since she had decided to lay down and sleep. She tried to do so again, but felt herself full of energy and will to move around.

Whatever that presence had done to her, it made her renewed.

She left the _Falcon,_ heading toward the command center. Right now the base had been finally fully established, with all the elements of the prefabricated ground base the stolen _Nebulon-K_ had in storage settled down to the area, and all the sensor markers were spread across the settlements in order to repel the giant spider creatures away.

Now that they had some organization to work with, the Resistance could finally begin acting to provide hope to the Galaxy, and it filled Rey with excitement to be able to help people.

She entered the command center, seeing Leia and Poe around a large holotable that stood in the middle of the room. Some Resistance officers were managing the computers and the systems around the place, making sure that the small band of freedom fighters had everything they needed to keep resisting. And out in a small corner she saw two other familiar faces.

"Finn, you have to pass me the Akurian hammer!"

"I don't know what the Akurian hammer is!

"It's the weirdest one!"

"Everything in this box is weird Rose!"

Rey grinned at the sight of her two friends discussing. She knew Finn and Rose had a good chemistry between them, even if sometimes they butted heads over dumb things. But considering how the former stormtrooper now turned Lieutenant acted around when nervous she knew those would continue to be frequent.

Especially when seeing he was around somebody he liked.

Or might like. Rey was still waiting patiently for Finn to come rushing to her and confessing what he felt for the engineer.

She raised her hand, pulling the Akurian hammer to herself, making Finn look at her surprised.

"This is an Akurian hammer, Finn. Here you go Rose." She said, winking at her friend who was now poker facing her.

"Thanks Rey, at least someone in here knows something about tools!"

Finn widened his eyes to Rose "Hey! First Order training didn't include repairing communicators practice!"

Rose chuckled "Well, then I'm better than those bucketheads in one thing!"

Rey smirked, enjoying this talk "I'm sure you'll soon be better at everything over them."

"I hope so." Rose said, getting out of the machine's underside with her face smudged with wire wax "Otherwise I'm gonna have to fight them with one of those hammers."

The mechanic put the tools back into her box, packing it up to go to the starship repair section "Thanks for the help Finn, even though it's hard for you to know what is what."

"I've told you, I'm better at destroying things rather than fixing them."

Rose laughed loudly, hugging Finn and leaving a mark of wax on his white shirt before she was gone, leaving Finn with woe expression and Rey laughing out hard. The now Lieutenant looked at the Jedi, rolling his eyes.

"This was my favorite shirt. I don't deserve this."

Rey stopped for a moment to catch her breath, finding her friend's disappointment pure joy "I think it looks a lot better now."

"Oh you do?" Finn suddenly grabbed Rey, bringing her to a crushing hug "Then I can expand the brand now!"

"FINN!" She shouted, trying to get away from him, making her friend the one who was bursting out in laughter. She was released from his embrace, looking at her clothes.

"Come on, this is my training outfit!"

"Well" Finn said "I think it looks a lot better now!"

"You silly!" She said, lightly punching his arm. However, she couldn't help but smile at the hole situation.

"But being serious, you need to take a shower or something. You've been inside the _Falcon_ for two days doing nothing but reading with 3PO!"

Rey bit her lip, knowing full well that now she needed to be careful about what she would say. Finn couldn't find out about the Bond, otherwise he would most likely screw things up.

"You know, Master Luke gave me those books, and because I want to become a real Jedi, I guess reading old things is a part of it."

" _Well, didn't exactly give, rather lend without permission."_ She thought, remembering that she had stolen the books from the old tree on Ahch-To.

"Then you must be bored as hell after getting through all that monk stuff. Did you learn anything new?"

Rey chuckled "First of, it's not a monk thing. Second, just a few things for now. Mostly rituals and ceremonies, but there were a few interesting concepts that I might practice later."

Finn raised and eyebrow "You're going to tell me that rituals are not a monk thing?"

"You're really dope, you know? Maybe you should become a monk!"

Finn laughed, enjoying this friendly banter "But hey, you might wanna show those new things you wanna learn. You know, seeing someone lifting things with their minds is truly awesome!"

Rey lowered her head "Thanks Finn. Now I need to talk to Leia, but thanks to you she's gonna think I look like an animal!"

"Hardly." The two turned around to be met by the General herself "It's because you didn't see Luke when he was still a young rebel. Everytime he'd return from training or a mission worst than a Wampa."

"Finn, will you excuse us for a moment?" Rey asked, considering that now she had 'classified matters' to attend to.

"Sure, no problem. See you today at the training barracks?"

She nodded, and after Finn exited the center, the two women entered Leia's office. The elderly woman shut the door, activating the sound proof device and sitting next to her desk, motioning for Rey to do the same.

"3PO told me that you asked for his help."

Rey gulped, getting ready for what was to come :

"Yeah. The Texts have many written passages that I can not understand, and even 3PO thinks it's too complicated."

Leia smiles, adjusting her seat "He's no longer the latest model of protocol droid, but he is one of the best. But even those who are best at everything tend to find impediments on their way."

Rey let the words sink in, knowing that the General probably meant something sublime with it.

"May I ask you why you where giving a look at the books just now? You've had them for quite a while." Leia said, and Rey knew that, if she was going to give an honest response, it should be to Leia.

"Frankly, Leia, I'm searching for answers. Anything that could help me comprehend what's going on between me and... You know... Ben." She said, finding it difficult to spell _his_ name by the end of the sentence.

The General got up, grabbing her cane and walking next to Rey. She leaned on the table, but not with the intent of scaring, but rather to give an image of calmness.

"I know Force based things can be a real pain in the head, and that having he roaming around in your mind doesn't make things easier. But did you at least learn anything?"

Rey sighed, feeling her own disappointment with the matter "I really wished I could say yes, Leia, but the books have nothing at all to them relating with Force Connections. I know I haven't read it all yet, but the more I see, the less my expectations become. If I'm going to keep the Bond open or not, then at least something about it I should have knowledge on."

Leia nodded in confirmation "You're right, Rey. We don't know what this is, and the suggestion I've given you certainly isn't making things softer for you. I'm sorry, and I know I shouldn't be asking this, but if you don't find anything to help you, you're gonna have to make a decision blindly. I really apologize for keeping pressure on you, but it could be a great risk to the Resistance closing the bridge you have with my son. I'm gonna wait for you to see if you can find something helpful, but if the worst case scenario comes to be, then you must come to me and we can make a mutual decision."

Rey closed her eyes "I just don't know what is right at the moment. I need to be honest with you, it might be better for us not to disappoint him and closing it. I'm aware it's not what you suggested and certainly not what you want, but I don't want him to do what he did to us on Crait."

Leia held Rey's hands kindly "Rey, you could never disappoint me. You're a bright girl, and I'm sure you will make the right call. Just give it a deeper look and come to a decision. That's the only thing I ask out of you."

The gentle words from the General made Rey feel better with the situation. She got up, ready to leave.

"Thank you, General"

"Leia! How many times am I gonna have to tell you this?" The older woman said, making Rey giggle. She got out of the command center, looking at her dirty outfit.

 _"I really should use the refresher now."_ She thought, heading to her private space on the _Falcon._ On the way, however, she kept hearing faintly in her mind :

" _I'm here."_

" _Seek me out. "_

" _Come and find me. "_

No doubt it was the voice. If it kept saying that to her, it probably meaned it wasn't far away. Or that she'd need to borrow a ship with a hyperdrive and go out in another quest to find a lost master.

At least this one would be willing to teach her.

 **Finally a new chapter! I must apologize for the small break between chapters, but it's because I recently got to the USA! I'm doing an exchange here for 6 months, so let's hope my English improves a lot during my stay.**

 **I wanted to do a more simple/relaxed chapter this time, considering all the conflict and darkness there were in the last three. Rey seems to be dealing a little bit better with the lack of answers than Kylo is, though she too is apprehensive of what might turn out if she finds nothing to help them.**

 **Next chapter is going to be something you've been waiting for quite a while, and I'm sure you're gonna like it.**

 **Now, to the reviews!**

 **DaniNatureGirl391 : Do you think so? That means a lot to me! I've always been concerned on the way that I portray characters, specially already established ones. I'm really happy you think they're nailed down. And here's the next chapter!**

 **SirLoozElite : Hux is a man who schemes in the background. He may seem like a man who acts with rush and no thought, but he does know how to plan. Otherwise, how would he achieve the rank of General? Other than the fact that he is power hungry, mischievous and murdered his father to rise through the ranks. Snoke's secrets didn't reveal anything because there were no secrets at all, seeing how he discarded everything away. Knowing that he was no Sith, it makes sense Snoke wouldn't follow the Rule of Two, and therefore, not wanting to be killed to be replaced by his own apprentice. As for Kylo, let's hope he doesn't wreak havoc because of his let downs, right?**

 **If you want any question or doubt answers write it down on the review section so that I can answer it once the next chapter is released!**

 **Thank you all for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	17. Chapter 17 : Mutual Emotions

**Hello everyone, here I am!**

 **So here is a chapter I'm sure most of you have been expecting for a while : The third Bond session!**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 17 : Mutual Emotions

Entering the _Falcon_ , Rey immediately went to her room to take off her dirty outfit and clean herself. She still had to go to the barracks and meet up with Finn for blaster training, but thanks to Finn himself, she would be a little bit late. However she was sure he would understand it, considering it was his fault her clothes were stained with wax.

She closed the door, taking off the upper tunic. Her outfit was complex, but she found it very pretty. It resembled Master Luke's own Jedi outfit, but with blue instead of white on it, and that's why she liked it : It was different, but still had a Jedi touch to it.

She took everything she needed for the shower in the drawer, and threw her upper robes to the other side of the room. She could put them in order once she was done in the refresher.

But as she did so, she heard someone complaining.

And instantly she recognized the voice

"What the..."

 _Him._

It was _him._ Ben Solo, standing with his back facing her, and with her clothes in his shoulder.

Kylo grabbed the robes, instantly recognizing to who they belonged.

 _Her_.

It was _her_. Rey, standing behind him.

The two of them were taken back by surprise. The Bond opened up with no warning whatsoever. No blurry surroundings, no suppression of sound, no sensing of each other's presences. It just bridged their minds randomly.

Rey widened her eyes, worried. _Could this be the voice connecting them again?_

Kylo was about to turn around when Rey shouted :

"Don't!"

He stopped mid track, realizing what she meant.

Rey's heartbeat was rampant. Not only was she literally unclothed in the same room as he was, but she had nothing to tell him. Nothing that could help them understand the connection. Nothing at all.

What she could do at the moment was making the situation less embarrassing.

"Please, wait."

She saw him nodding, and proceeded to look for anything to wear in her upper half.

Kylo's breathing was intensifying, but he was doing his best not to make it heard. He was thinking about what he should tell her. He had nothing, and all the knowledge he thought he could have had been burned by Snoke. And the moment he feared had arrived : Coming empty handed, look like a dumb animal in front of her, with no wisdom, but only rage and savageness in her point of view. He would look like a fool, just like he had on Crait.

And the fact he was currently holding her clothes and that she had such a desperate reaction made the situation very awkward.

And for some reason, her presence still made him want to turn around...

" _Stop it!"_ He urged in his mind, closing his eyes and standing still. But unconsciously, he held her clothes more tightly

Rey found a matching robe to her lower half and put it on, checking if she wasn't forgetting anything. Certifying that she wasn't, she took a deep breath, and looked at him, saying :

"You can turn now."

He slowly did, making sure that she was dressed. And with that, they made eye contact.

And right off the bat they knew they would let each other down.

He stretched his arm, handing her the clothes that were tossed on him. She took them from him, folding them.

"Thanks." She said. He pressed his lips, nodding again, but remaining quiet.

She put the clothes in her bed, and sighed. This was it. The talk they had agreed on having days ago.

The talk that could endanger the Resistance with the wrath of Kylo Ren. A wrath that would be provoked by her.

She sat on her bed, watching as he did the same, and she took the time to notice a few things.

He seemed tired, very tired actually. His eye sockets were dark and big, begging for rest, and his posture indicated the same, his shoulders more shrunken than usual. His hair was a mess, and he wasn't wearing his full uniform, as she saw that the gloves and the big tunic he used to wonder around with weren't present.

Had he been searching for answers so much that he forgot to take care of himself?

Did he really do this? For... Them? Or was it all for _him?_

 _Or for you?_

 _"No way."_ Rey thought, shaking the idea off her head. He would never do that because of her. She was his enemy, and obviously didn't care for her.

 _Then why did he made the proposal to stand by his side that day?_

She frowned, doing her best to let the thoughts go. She continued to study his features, until she realized something.

His face. It was dirty with wax from the clothes she had blindly thrown at him. She would have laughed at the scene if it wasn't for the cringy situation they were at. But she decided to tell him about that, in order to start a conversation by a hopeful good page.

"Your face..." She tried to continue the sentence, but his gaze made her choke the words on the way. Why was it so difficult to talk when he looked at her?

Kylo raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to say what she wanted. No doubt something about how miserable and defeated he looked.

Rey gulped, managing to finish the sentence "... It's covered with wax..."

He ran his hand through his face, seeing the black goo all over his hand. It wasn't dirty before the Bond had opened, so the only thing that could have done that was...

Kylo got up, stepping forward and making Rey feel cornered. She thought he was going to grab her by the neck or push her with the Force. But when she saw him getting right beside her, getting the wax off his face with water, her whole spirit got relieved by the understanding that it was his sink.

He dried his hands, looking over at her.

"You've been busy."

She stared at him, lowering her head and acknowledging.

He moved back to his chair, tilting his head "Always with the hard work, huh?"

"I suppose." She replied, not willing to tell him about the reason her robes were dirty, not only because it was unnecessary, but because she knew he despised Finn.

He tittered, holding his sweaty hands "At least you seem to get results."

Rey gulped again, knowing where he was heading to. The best way to handle this was by spitting it out.

"I just seem to, really."

Kylo looked intently at her, confused. Certainly she had found anything of knowledge, unlike his depressed self.

So what could she possibly mean with that?

"I'm gonna go straight on with you, Ben. I... I-I didn't find anything."

He stayed silent, motionless and neutral, but she was frowning, sweating, nervous. But it didn't stop her from continuing :

"I searched everything I could. The Texts, the teachings, meditation, 3PO, but there's simply nothing, not a single line of dialogue that says anything about Bonds!"

Her breathing got heavy, and she could barely make herself talk further. For some reason, it hurt her to say that. It was a promise, and she had failed to fulfill it. She had risked so much, and now she would pay for that. She'd loose the Resistance, Leia, her friends. His redemption.

 _Him._

She pressed her lips, going on with the explanation.

"I'm confused right now, Ben. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say. Hell' I don't even know what to think! I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, but there's nothing that I found that could help us. Nothing can. I don't know if you have found anything, but if you did, please tell me."

She looked at him, her eyes starting to swell. And he remained frozen like a statue, like if he hadn't even heard what she said. And for a couple of seconds, he stayed so.

And so he stood up, slowly but surely walking towards her this time. Rey started to get worried.

"Ben, I swear, I-I couldn't find anything! I tried and tried so hard and yet I..."

He stopped a few inches from her, so close that she could feel his breathing, which was... trembling?

She heard him swallow a sob, and suddenly, saw something she thought he would never do.

A tear ran down his scar. A small, yet visible tear. It reached his jawline, and fell to the floor between them. Rey raised her head to meet his, confused.

"Ben?"

He sobbed again, this time not able to mask it.

And he hugged her.

The hug was strong, so strong Rey thought he was actually grabbing her for some evil intention, but it didn't hurt. No, it was strong, yet fragile, like a hug from a child.

She was much smaller than him in stature, but it didn't prevent him from burying his head on her shoulder.

And crying.

Rey was perplexed by the sudden outburst of feelings that came from him. Who could have imagined that the Supreme Leader of the Galaxy could cry?

She could. And she was somehow happy for it, because it showed he could still feel, that he was still Human.

"He-He burned it down, h-he... he took it all away...""

She sensed sadness coming from his presence. The feeling was so powerful that she herself began to tear up, and so she hugged him back.

And at that moment there was no Dark Side or Light. No First Order and Resistance. No good and evil.

There were only two lost souls, hugging in hopes to let their disappointments fall away

Many minutes passed, and they were still holding one another. The crying had stopped, but the two didn't want to let go. The fact they were actually able to touch one another comforted the two, it gave them peace.

Kylo then began to loose the hug, shaking.

"I a... I'm sorry, I..."

"No." Rey said, tighting her grip on him. Kylo was taken aback, stunned. Why in the Galaxy would she want to hug him? A monster?

"Just a little more. Please." The way she asked him was kind, persuasive. It made him crave for more of the peace he'd felt when he emotionally hugged her.

It made him want _her_.

He moved his arms around her once again, this time being more gentle. He knew she was a strong woman, but even then he couldn't help but feel as if he would crush her with his larger size.

Fortunately, she was still there, her arms around his body, her posture restful, as if she completely overlooked the bloody mess he was.

A few more minutes passed, and the two released from the hug together. Rey blushed lightly, sitting in her bed and saying :

"Thank you."

And once again, she got another surprise from him.

"No. Thank you."

He was... thanking her? Not even in a thousand lifetimes she thought it was possible. But he did.

And it felt pleasant. Felt good.

He returned to his chair, neutral in expression, but astonished in soul. He had never shown this kind of emotional outburst to anyone, besides his mother when he was still a child. But after the whole search for answers, the pressure of ruling, the frustration with himself and the trickery of the robed bastard, he needed to let it out.

And instead of mocking him, as he expected, she helped him. She didn't push him away or shot him as she did when the Bond first appeared. She kept him close, feeding him with good energy. And Force, it felt good. Felt right.

Rey was somewhat glad with the unbelievable turn of events. Perhaps there was still a good chance to redeem him after all.

 _"A good chance of him standing by our side."_ She thought.

 _Standing by your side._

 _"_ So..." Rey felt bad by bringing the topic up again, but she had to know for certain "You didn't find anything either?"

Kylo sighed, not because of the question, but because of his answer "No. Nothing at all."

Rey showed a face of worry. She reached out, grabbing his hand and running her fingers through his "What happened?"

Kylo turned his head to the side, saying just loud enough for her to hear it "He destroyed everything."

"Who?" She asked, still holding his hand.

He closed his eyes, mad by just thinking about his former, now dead master "Snoke."

Rey lowered her gaze. Of course that, if Snoke had in fact forged the bridge, then he should be the one to possess to knowledge of how to do so. So the bitter truth that he had destroyed the knowledge was frustrating for her as much as it was for him.

"He knew someone would look after it as well. So he burned it. He burned everything down to ashes, and recorded it so that the moron that stumbled across his vault could be ashamed of himself."

His voice kept getting angrier and angrier, but he contained himself. He looked over to his hand, touching hers, and felt the calmness she transmitted through the touch. It was contagious, in a good way.

"I ended up being the moron. Now I'm stuck here, with nothing but a large throne to sit on while I deepen myself in misery. I've never been so lonely."

Rey moved, sitting next to him and not letting go of his hand. She tilted her head to face him, even though he tried at all costs to avoid eye contact.

"You're not alone."

He succumbed to the urge, and looked at her hazel eyes. Their wonderfulness was able to make himself lost for a small moment, before he returned to his normal self, turning his head again and saying :

"You're not going to be here forever. You'll have to go sometime."

She bit her lip, getting even closer "But not now. I'm staying."

He looked at her again, and asked "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" She replied, but knowing what he meant.

"Comforting me. Why are you doing it? I'm your enemy. Weeks ago I was trying to kill you. I caused so much harm, I've made you lost people and..." He decided to stop, to avoid talking about his father "Why?"

Rey froze for a moment, thinking. He wasn't asking it like he was disgusted or frightened at her actions. He was asking like someone who appreciated it, but didn't feel like they deserved it.

While many would argue that he didn't, she thought the contrary.

"Maybe I'm just too kind." She said "Maybe I'm a person who doesn't like to see others sad and hopeless. Maybe I want to make people happy."

He stared at her, knowing there was more.

"But you, Ben, you're different. I can't explain it, but you are somewhat special. There are people who care for you. People who would do anything just to see if you're okay. And I'm one of these people. I believe in you, Ben. No matter how many times you tell me you're affiliated with the Dark Side and the First Order, I'll always believe you can turn back. That there is still Light within your dark shell. I know there is, because it's in your family."

He gave a small smirk, asking "But how can you be so sure?"

"Because I've seen it." She said, and he remembered their talk on the turbo lift right before they met with Snoke. The vision she told him of him turning to the Light.

But he had a vision too, and it was of her turning to the Dark, and at the time he thought it had been manipulation on Snoke's part.

And now, he wasn't sure. But if he had learned something in the last week, was that she had changed his life forever.

And that perhaps her vision could be something else.

And knowing the tale of Darth Vader, she wasn't completely dream full of her words.

 _"Dammit"_ He thought, sensing the pull to the Light stronger than ever.

"Rey, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to." She said, and he kept staring at her, fascinated by her charisma. How did the Force create such a pure being?

"Just... Think, please." She continued, holding his other hand. While his were bigger, she felt as if she had full control over them.

"Try looking outside of your horizons."

And with that, a light bubble appeared on his mind. _Outside of your horizons..._

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, getting up with thrill. Rey was scared at first, but then listened to what he had to say.

"That's it Rey, looking outside of our horizons, beyond our limits! We've been searching for answers within only a section of the Dark and the Light, that's why we haven't found anything!"

Rey stood up, getting what he was saying "So what are you suggesting?"

"I'm saying that we shouldn't restrain ourselves to these. Jedi And Sith, forget it! Snoke wasn't any of those, so certainly he didn't use their wisdom!"

"That makes sense. But how are we supposed to know where to look at?"

Kylo stopped, realizing that what she said was true. They needed to know where to search for, otherwise it would be another dead end.

He thought, reaching a simple conclusion. One that seemed dumb, but made total sense.

"We have to trust the Force. Listen to what it has to tell us, let it be our guide. That's how the first Force users learned how to master it's abilities, that's how the Jedi and the Sith learned to become powerful. And that's how we are going to find the answers we seek."

Rey looked at him, a little surprised once again "For someone who's a darksider, you seem very... Excited?"

He got closer to her, holding her hands once again "Thanks to you."

And again, hearing it made Rey's soul delighted, like if a piece of it had been put back in place. It was a feeling so brief, yet so strong, like a comet passing in the atmosphere, full of Light.

Then Kylo got blurred, and she knew the Bond was closing yet again. He looked at her, feeling a bit disappointed that the connection was closing.

 _But why? Isn't closing the Bond your goal?_

He was preparing to shut himself off once again to deal with that incompetent General when he heard her :

"Hey, do me a favor..."

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. What favor could he possibly do for her?

"... And get some sleep." She finished, and after a small smile, she was gone.

Kylo was left alone in his quarters. It was night shift on the _Supremacy_ , so most of the usual active personnel was asleep by now, which meant there was total silence on the wide ship

He sensed his inner turmoil more unstable than ever. He had sworn to be a warrior of the shadows, yet she... She made him feel awkward, different... She made him feel part of the Light...

He'd become so acostummed to the darkness that it felt weird to be enchanted by the other side. But he had been like that because of Snoke, and the way the lying old man acted was so mischievous that he felt as if even his promise of power from the dark felt like a lie now. But would leaving it be the right thing? Could he really go back?

" _What the hell, REN?"_ He asked himself. That had been the first time in all his years in the First Order that he considered coming back. Forgetting his dark path and returning to the warm embrace of his mother, to the small band of fighters of the Resistance. It wasn't worth it.

 _Was it?_

 _"Stop!"_

He wanted to get rid if this conflict, but knew that it would be hard if he remained awake. So he did something he had done his best not to do in the last three weeks :

Sleep.

Immediately he begun getting unconscious, letting his troubles go away and the freedom of rest take over him. The last times he had done so, he would remember the bad things that had happened the weeks prior, but now his mind was empty. He finally felt relaxed.

And just before falling asleep, he murmured.

"Thanks, scavenger."

"Rey, are you there?"

Rey almost jumped from her bed when she heard Finn on the other side of the door. _He_ had just faded away, his presence still impregnating the room. She felt like a piece of her was missing, but not gone. This time, she felt purified, like she had helped to bring balance to herself.

 _And to him._

But the whole Bond thing lasted for so long that she forgot she had to meet with Finn on the barracks. She walked over to the door, greeting her best friend.

"Hey, I'm late, ain't I?" She said, thinking of some excuse right away.

"Yes, and I thought you were going to take a shower! You're still dirty like a Loth-bat!" Finn said, noticing the wax on Rey's forehead.

"Oh yeah, I saw a few pipes of the _Falcon_ off place so I decided to give it a look and well... Should have known better, huh?" She said, hoping it was enough to make Finn not suspicious.

"And you had the time to change your upper robes? Wouldn't it be better for you to just straight up use the old ones not to get these dirty?"

Rey widened her eyes, immediately taking her stuff for the refresher and going past Finn.

"You know, you have a good point! That's why I'm going to take a shower!"

"Hey Rey, wait!"

Rey stopped, closing her eyes and begging for him not to ask anything else. She turned "Yes?"

"Leia has assigned us a new mission. Me, you, Rose and Poe are going to the old rebel base to scramble some equipments for us. We're leaving at sunrise, alright?"

"Great! Thanks Finn!" She said, quickly entering the refresher and closing the door, relieved. Finn didn't suspect a thing, for now. But as long as the connection kept existing, she'd have to make some better excuses in the future.

But there was still hope of finding answers. It was just like he'd said.

They only needed to trust the Force.

 **I bet you didn't expect crying Kylo, right?**

 **So let me explain stuff from the chapter straight on. You can see that, even though at first when Rey found nothing to help them she'd dealt with the situation much better than Kylo, but once she got around him, she got nervous and forgot all of it. It's an interesting aspect of how she directs herself to him that I want to use as character development further on.**

 **And I know what you will say, Kylo would NEVER open up like that, especially to Rey. But looking at chapters 13 to 15, you can see that he already showed signs of mental instability and inner conflict, and after he saw that everything bad that ever happened in his life had one single source (Snoke), he was broken, and this is reflected in his appearance, emotions and reactions, and that's why he was so sensitive, not to mention that he already feels out of place whenever the Bond opens up and Rey is around.**

 **Next chapter will focus on Rey, Finn, Rose and Poe as they investigate the old rebel base on Atollon. And they might find a few surprises along the way...**

 **Now, to answer you guys :**

 **Aki8210 (Guest) : And indeed I took that element from the Poe Dameron comic. I think it makes sense that, because the Sacred Jedi Texts are so old they might not be in basic after all, and having C-3PO reading them just makes me excited by some reason. And I also did it to keep up with continuity. Now, as for the "lost master", you're gonna have to wait and see to find out who, what it is... Let your imagination fly!**

 **Review so that I can know if you guys are enjoying the story, and I will answer your questions in the next chapter!**

 **Signing off, I'll see you next time, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


	18. Chapter 18 : Chopper Base - Part One

**Hey people, here I am again!**

 **Today's chapter will be about our main characters exploring the old rebel base on Atollon. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **(Review!)**

Chapter 18 : Chopper Base - Part One

"Alright, we all set? Let's move!"

Rey was finishing packing her supplies when Poe shouted, saying that they had to go. It had been yesterday when Finn told her that Leia had assigned them to go to the wreckage of the old rebel base on the planet in order to get supplies. Though both the former stormtrooper and the pilot had gone there before, they didn't really have the time to properly look into it due to the hurry they faced to repel the spider creatures away from the base.

The team consisted of her, Rose, Finn and Poe. Leia said that there probably wasn't enough leftover equipment to send an entire platoon to search the base, so the four of them could handle the situation very well. Rose could serve as an machine expert, Poe as a rebel system's expert and Finn as a military expert.

As for her, well, she could serve a survival expert. Just in case they got lost or something.

Each of them were carrying one sensor beacon in their backpacks to keep the spider creatures away. For some reason they were very sensitive to the low-frequency sound waves those beacons emitted, so it was a weird kind of repellent, but a good one, considering the ones Rey was forced to use on Jakku didn't really have a pleasant scent.

She got everything she needed and approached the group, ready to go. But as always, there's someone who's late.

"Finn, what are you doing?" Rose asked through the comm "We're all here. We gotta go now or the sand trail will be gone!"

"Copy, I'm just... Get off me! I'm just getting some stuff but -C'mon! Get out of my room!" By Finn's response the three of them knew he was having issues with certain flying creatures. Poe put his hand over his forehead, but he was grinning, in a manner to suggest that though not happy with the situation, he still found it funny.

"Finn, is it the Porgs?" Rey asked. After a few seconds of followed curses and bad words, Finn answered :

"Yeah, these things stole my blaster's loader, and I can't find it. Anyone's got an extra?"

"Sorry pal, you know how we're trying to spare resources. One loader each." Poe said, looking up "Can't you get another blaster from the stock?"

"You just said we had to spare! Wait... Got it!" They heard Finn chuckle in victory and some bird noises, indicating the Porgs were not pleased with Finn getting his loader. He left his room, making sure he wasn't leaving anything behind, loaded his blaster and reached them "C'mon, we're gonna be late."

He tapped Poe in the shoulder, leading the way. The pilot looked at him disbelieved, but didn't care much. He'd gotten used to Finn's sense of humor and his trip ups, and it made their friendship fun. Finn was a good friend.

 _A really good friend._

Poe cleared his thoughts, following the Lieutenant with Rey and Rose behind him.

It was a long walk, but not a big one. They went through the various landscapes in the path to the base, seeing the exotic nature of Atollon. The coral structures gave a look that would be more common in ocean worlds, but Atollon barely had any water in it's surface, forcing the creatures that lived there to go underground to get the precious liquid. Even then, it didn't stop them from visiting the surface frequently, especially the surroundings of the new base. The perimeter would be always patrolled by the spider creatures, kept at bay by the sensor beacons, but other small shelled creatures wouldn't bother at all, entering the barracks and other buildings without intervention at all. And better yet, they didn't represent any harm at all, making them much more beloved by the Resistance members than the Porgs, who'd always take a chance to steal a small piece of equipment or eat a computer's wires.

And hours passed. They'd do quick stops to eat or drink, but mostly they kept their pace. They wanted to get there before nightfall, which was extremely close. Each day and night lasted three days on this planet, and they were on the last day of sunlight. And who knows what could wander around in these dunes during the night.

While walking, Rey thought about yesterday. What had come off from her "talk" with _him_.

She was still taken back by his emotional state. Whatever he'd seen during his search for answers hit him hard on the inside. But it gave her hope. He could still feel, which meant he could be turned back. After all that happened in the past weeks she didn't even remotely imagine that monsters could feel.

" _No, he's not a monster."_ She told herself.

 _Then why did you call him one so many times?_

She pressed her eyebrows " _I didn't know him them. His true self."_

Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren, the most powerful man in the Galaxy. On the outside, a ruthless leader with no intentions for peace. On the inside, a tormented boy who needed a guide to help him find his path.

And Rey felt she would be that guide. She could lead him back to the Light, she knew it, she had seen it. The vision she had while touching his hands was something she'd hardly forget. He was good. Somewhere under that dark heart lied a bright soul. The vision was so real, she could swear it was a prediction of the future.

 _Then why did he have a vision of you turning to the Dark?_

Sadly, there was this. He'd experienced the same thing, but relating to the darkness. She was sure she wouldn't turn to the Dark Side. She'd seen what it did to people, and the mistakes it made them commit. There was no place for mistakes. They led to a worse path. Just looking at Master Luke's frustration with himself and his own nephew, Ben's tarnished being not knowing where to stand on, and the tale of Darth Vader were prime examples of how mistakes were not a good thing, and therefore, Dark Side related.

She had done many mistakes, but none she regretted.

No, there was one :

Believing she could save him that day on the throne room.

Her hopes had risen on helping him throughout the last days, but that didn't take away how she felt when all she intended to do that day had been shattered to pieces by a single thing. A proposition.

An offer to rule the Galaxy. To have power, control, appreciation. To be feared. All of that by his side.

Sure, Snoke's death had been a good thing for the Galaxy at large, but the moment _he_ asked her to join _him_ after the fight with guards had made her feel deceived, like an idiot. She thought that by him killing his master he'd realized the Light was the right path, but he still grasped the darkness. And she couldn't help but feel like a dumb, hopeless girl in front of him.

If Darth Vader managed to come back, why couldn't _he_?

But hope had presented itself again. Their last 'session' proved he was finally seeing the bigger picture. At least she hoped so. She sympathized with _him_ , and _he_ with her. At that moment their souls had touched each other, and seen how they felt. And by what she got from _him_ , she was confident about _his_ salvation.

He needed it, she knew. _He deserved it_. Only then would the Force be in balance.

 _But he killed millions. He spreaded terror across countless worlds._

 _He murdered Han Solo_.

" _Crap."_ She thought. Those were unforgiving things, no doubt. If he were to turn back, then how could he avoid this past?

Rey wanted to help him, but at each clue she found another obstacle. And honestly sometimes even she didn't know why her will to aid _him_ was so strong. There was just this weird, powerful feeling inside her that said it was _right_. It was _good_.

It was... beautiful.

"So, quite a nice walk huh?"

Rey was snapped out of her thoughts by Poe, the pilot putting his hand over his sweaty hair to the side. She adjusted herself not to look lost.

"Yeah, and long too. How long had it taken for you and Finn to get here the first time?"

"We were running like hell, so obviously much faster than right now. Maybe about an hour or so. I think we're around that far from the base, just a little more patience." Poe said, recalling the struggle it was carrying all those beacons while rushing back to the new base.

"So, how did you know about this place? And the trackers?" She asked. Maybe Poe knew things about the rebels that once established themselves there and could tell her about it.

"Well, General Organa actually told me about the trackers, but I knew about this place since I was a child, back when my mom would tell me stories about the Rebellion. The people in this place were crucial for the unification of the scattered rebel cells at the time." Poe said, remembering how the Rebel Alliance soldiers were his childhood heroes.

"But crucial in what way?" Rey asked, wishing for more.

"Well, by what I remember they were some of the few who could pack a punch against the Empire. They were the ones who'd managed to spread the message that inspired the Galaxy to gather together to fight the Emperor and his subordinates. Mon Mothma's message. Do you know her?"

Rey had heard that name before, but never really knew who Mon Mothma was. She shook her head, hoping that Poe would tell her.

"I guess Jakku ain't that hooked up to galactic history. Mothma was the Rebellion's leader, and the first Chancellor of the New Republic. She was who most considered to be the arms that held the rebels together. But after she left office, the New Republic begun suffering from lack of goals, and the First Order took advantage of it."

Rey analyzed Poe's words carefully. If the senate actually started crumbling because this woman reclined her post, then she must have been really influential.

"That's why I joined the Resistance. The senate didn't trust Leia when she told them about the Order's threat, but I did. And so did Mothma. And many who still looked up to her as an example begun supporting us. Leia has a lot of support, of course, but as leader of the former Alliance, Mothma was one of the main contributors to the Resistance's cause."

"Well, where's she now? She'd certainly be of great help to us!"

Poe scratched the back of his head, pressing his lips "It's not that easy. Mothma left her cargo because she was very sick. I mean, she's very old right now. As far as I know, she was in Chandrilla by the time we were looking for Luke Skywalker, but after Crait we haven't received any word from there. We can only hope she's left the planet before the First Order invasion. I'm sure she'd be a prime target for those bucket heads."

"I'm sure she is alive, and that she's trying to help us in some way."

Poe turned his head, smiling "You are very confident and positive, Rey. We need people like you."

Rey chuckled "Well, hope is always the last one standing, right?"

"Yeah." Poe said, looking into her eyes "You bring a lot of it to the Resistance. Jedi, survivor, machine expert. You're something different, Rey."

"Something? Now I'm an object?" Rey said, intending for it to be a pun.

However, Poe didn't take it as such.

"Uh, I mean, sorry. Someone, hahah! I'm just a little dumb."

With that Poe pressed his pace, getting ahead of Rey and the others. But Rey did manage to hear him mumble a phrase before he left.

"Stupid Poe. Just stupid."

Why was he calling himself stupid?

" _Was he trying to... Hit on me?"_

Rey made sure she forgot that, but it worried her. Poe had been a little to kind to her in the past few days, and she learned that he really admired her, always praising how she was a person to be looked upon by others.

Though she appreciated his efforts, something told her it wasn't what she wanted. Poe was a good friend, but for a lover? Rey hadn't really thought of that her whole life.

She never had a case with anybody. Sure, other scavengers on Jakku would try to seduce her in very disgusting and awful ways, with the grossest of them all even attempting to force her into... Less pleasant actions. But she always managed to find a way out. But now a man was being polite, educated and nice to her, and even then, she felt it wasn't good.

She didn't mean to be rude with Poe or anything, but maybe she wasn't ready for a romance.

 _Not a romance with him. But with him._

" _What? Stop it! What you mean?"_

Her mind kept subconsciously tricking and messing with her, and she hated it. What did it mean with _him_? Certainly not Poe, much less Finn.

 _Him!_

 _"_ _That's right little one!_ _"_

Rey almost froze in place when she heard the voice. Making sure she slowed her pace to stay behind and avoid the others from hearing her, Rey spoke:

"Will you stop getting inside my head?"

After some chuckles, the voice replied.

"Oh, youngling, you still have a lot to learn. Here's some advice for you, be cautious when you arrive to the base."

Rey frowned.

"Cautious? Why? What's in there? If it's the spiders we already know how to deal with them." She said, touching her beacon, though knowing the voice probably couldn't see it.

"Hah! You try to protect yoursef from nature with technology my dear, how silly!"

" _Okay, he sees me."_ Rey thought, not surprised but still uncomfortable with the fact.

"If you truly face those creatures, you must connect with them, not avoid. But ths is off topic, a lesson I shall teach you later."

"Lesson? You are not my master! Could you just-"

"Allow me to finish my talk, little one. You are impatient, just like those that came here before you!" The voice said, interrupting Rey and worrying her.

"That place is now shrouded in oblivion. A spot best left forgotten. Yet you decide to explore it, and it concerns me. I do not want trouble brought back to my planet. You follow the ways of the Jedi, but are willing to change them, so listen. Do not follow in their footsteps. Don't be arrogant. Allow the balance to happen. You will understand everything soon."

"Soon? I have no idea at all of what you mean. How soon?" Rey said, apprehensiove. The tone the voice had taken was one of frustration, anger, but most of all, and shockingly, care. But why care?

This place had more to it than it seemed.

She heard another laugh.

"As soon as you find me!"

"Rey!"

She snapped back to reality with Rose's call. Noticing that now she was several feet away, she sprinted back to the group.

"Why were you back there? Zoomed out?" Finn asked, ready to give his usual concerned look.

"I was just... Communing for a moment. It helps me to relax." Again, Rey hoped that the Force excuses kept working to keep her away from trouble.

"Uh alright. But here, we found something." Finn said, walking her near the cliff Poe was standing on. Looking down, she noticed something.

"Are those... Speeders?"

"Yep, and four of them! What a coincidence, huh?" Poe said, a big smile on his face. The climbed down, checking if the vehicles were still working. Fortunately they were, and they hopped on them.

"Old rebel technology, always helping us." Rose said, firing up her speeder and going ahead.

They each hopped up to one, and followed the mechanic. In a matter of 5 minutes, they could already see the shape of the base in the horizon.

"There it is! And just before nightfall!" Said Poe, accelerating his speeder and running past Rose, who got taken back.

"You wanna race Dameron?"

"Too late, you won't catch up to me!"

"Bet it!" Rose raised her speed, following the pilot and attempting to reach him.

Finn grinned, looking at Rey. She chuckled, and nodded in response, and Finn knew what it meant.

"I'm coming too!" He shouted, immediately boosting up the engines and flying forward at maximum thrust. In the distance, all that could be heard were Finn's excitement to the experience.

Rey however stood behind, reflecting. She wanted to have fun just as the others, but the strange being which kept interacting with her and the strange thoughts concerning _him_ still plagued her mind. At the moment, she didn't know what to expect.

And she was a bit scaredl. For the first time since leaving Jakku, she wasn't sure on what fate was planning for her.

And quite honestly, she didn't even know if she wanted to find out.

 **So, I have quite a lot to explain huh?**

 **I'll try to be as quick and short as I can be. I spent the last semester abroad studying during an exchange program while perfecting my english, and that took A LOT OF TIME from my routine, as you can imagine. Now that I'm back, I'll return to writing as a means to keep my english proficiency at a good level and also practice it to not lose my vocabulary (I feel like I already am it's scaring the sh*t out of me, so apologies if the grammar errors become more frequent)**

 **The publications will be done more often (I hope) and don't worry, The Encounters will also be receiving new chapters.**

 **I'll also try to adapt the story for the information we've been receiving for The Rise of Skywalker. I just hope I can finish this narrative before movie's release.**

 **And there's a lot more I could be apologising for and explaining, but I feel you don't really need and/or want to know, so I'll be keeping it for myself.**

 **Once again, I'm sorry for my abscense, but it will be made up for soon, I promise.**

 **Thank you for reading, and remember :**

 **May the Force be with you.**

 **Always.**


End file.
